Centered on a generation torn between wanting to leave its country yet bound by blood to its homeland, It’s Winter is a striking blend of raw realism and poetic lyricism. Khatoun, a beautiful young woman, and her daughter are left to cope on their own after her husband, believing he has no other options to earn a living then to go abroad, fails to return.
Marhab, a charismatic and confident young man arrives in town, looking for work as a mechanic. He befriends another young man in an inn, and introduces himself as a specialist in repairing cranes. His new friend fixes him up with a job at his own workplace. One day, in the market place, his eyes wander on to the beautiful Khatoun, whom he believes no longer has a husband. Set in the cold air and unforgiving landscape of winter, the film charts Marhab’s determination to secure a future for himself and win Khatoun’s heart, fighting every inch of the way with the harsh economic realities and social taboos of society.
Rafi Pitts (born 1967 in Mashad, Iran) is an internationally acclaimed Iranian film director.
Rafi spent his childhood in Tehran, where he lived in a basement flat underneath a post-production studio. He describes himself as having been a ‘very bad’ child actor, starting in films at the age of eight. He came to England (his father is English) in 1981 during the Iran Iraq war. He graduated in 1991 from Harrow College – Polytechnic of Central London with a BA (Hons) degree in Film and Photography. His first short film, In Exile (1991) was presented the same year at the London International Film Festival. In the 90’s Pitts moved to Paris and worked on films by Leos Carax, Jacques Doillon and Jean-Luc Godard.
Educated in France and England, Rafi Pitts belongs to the new wave of Iranian cinema, which received numerous prestigious prizes in the international festival circuit.
In 1996 he had the opportunity to film in Iran and describes himself as having been the first… read more
In the tradition of neo-realism, Pitts employed non-professional actors for this beautiful and poignant film that is wonderfully composed and orchestrated by the director. In a harsh winter landscape we follow a stranger who arrives in town looking for work and witness his pursuit of a woman whose husband has left to search for work abroad. This poetic drama is the first Iranian film I've seen. It won't be the last..
Lacking the brilliance that Pitts first film 'Season Five" eshibited. This miserabalist little slice of life sticks to a harsh realism to belabor its point; of leaving one's homeland for a supposed richer life versus staying and fighting for daily survival in a home of little opportunity or labour. Not without merit but uninvolving and dire. Rich soundtrack however.
[Many thanks to Gabe Klinger for passing along this open letter which we hope will be disseminated far and wide. Gabe's interview with Rafi Pitts
This film is about a migrant worker who arrives in a village looking for a job. There is work but not for everyone and the employers don’t always pay on time. Whether one has a job or not depends upon… read review
I really love the Cinematography in this film. It reminded me of the Coen Brothers movies, especially ‘Fargo.’ I also thought the Neo-Realistic style of the movie was very effectively done, and was… read review
