In the rich and constantly shifting landscape of global cinema, Jafar Panahi stands out as a preeminent Iranian filmmaker, whose contributions have significantly shaped the artistic sphere. His cinematic oeuvre delves into profound philosophical inquiries, meticulously examining the ethical and inherent dimensions of the filmmaking process. Panahi’s films are distinguished by their innovative approach and creative flair, engaging audiences in substantive dialogues that artfully merge fiction with reality. These works present themselves as complex metaphysical puzzles, challenging viewers to reevaluate their understanding of cinema.

This article aims to critically analyse Panahi’s latest film, No Bears (2022), through the interpretive lens of Gilles Deleuze’s philosophical theories, emphasising Deleuze’s ideas for a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding.

Redefining Cinema: Jafar Panahi’s Artistic Odyssey

Panahi’s career encountered a pivotal turning point in 2010 with a 20-year ban from filmmaking, accused of creating anti-government propaganda. Despite this, he persevered in producing films that offer intricate critiques of Iranian society and reflective insights into the nature of filmmaking. These works made independently of Iranian government sanction, embody subtle yet powerful expressions of artistic dissent.

Following his 2010 ban, Panahi produced This Is Not a Film, a diary-style video partly shot on an iPhone, challenging traditional filmmaking paradigms. This film, secretly exported from Iran in a cake via a USB drive, received acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival. His later films, including Closed Curtain (2013), Taxi Tehran (2015), and 3 Faces (2018), garnered international recognition and accolades at prestigious film festivals such as Berlin and Cannes.

July 2022 marked a significant setback for Panahi, following his detention by Iranian authorities. This occurred amidst his efforts to seek information about fellow filmmaker and government critic Mohammad Rasoulof. Panahi’s ensuing hunger strike in February, a resolute act of protest, ultimately led to his conditional release.

Panahi’s directorial style often portrays him not as a distinguished auteur but as a contemplative, sometimes unpretentious family man, masterfully intertwining his life with digital storytelling. His films skilfully blur the distinction between narrative and external reality, leading viewers on a meta-discursive journey into the essence of cinema.

Remote Directing and Philosophical Reflections in No Bears

No Bears, Panahi’s most recent film, discreetly filmed in Iran, premiered at the 79th Venice Film Festival, vying for the Golden Lion. Panahi, regrettably unable to attend due to a six-year prison sentence in Iran, saw his film awarded the Special Jury Prize in September 2022. The film features Panahi as a director remotely managing his project. Set in Turkey, it narrates the struggles of Zara (Mina Kavani) and Bakhtiar (Bakhtiar Panjei), who aspire for a new life in Europe amidst separation.

From a remote Iranian village, Panahi directs his actors via computer screen. This approach, while offering physical proximity to the scene, paradoxically underscores his directorial challenges caused by erratic communication signals. Gilles Deleuze’s notion that the virtual is not significantly distinct from the actual suggests a philosophical intersection where multiplicity encompasses both actual and virtual elements.

No Bears intertwines Panahi’s professional and personal challenges. In a surreal nocturnal journey to the Turkish border, confronting smugglers in an abandoned no-man’s land, Panahi and his assistant director Reza (Reza Heydari) ponder the invisible divide between nations. Simultaneously, Panahi becomes involved in a local dispute concerning a young couple (Amir Davari and Darya Alei) and a romantic rival (Javad Siyahi), with the village chief (Naser Hashemi) and Panahi’s host, Ghanbar (Vahid Mobaseri), also implicated.

A critical moment unfolds when Panahi is summoned to the village “swear room” to testify about a controversial photograph he allegedly captured. This ritual, more traditional than legal, accentuates the complex interplay between appearance and truth. Panahi’s suggestion to replace the Quran with a video camera during his testimony symbolizes his faith in the camera as an instrument of truth revelation.

Deleuze’s Concepts in Cinematic Context: The Virtual and Actual in No Bears

Embarking on an intellectual journey through Gilles Deleuze’s labyrinthine concepts of the virtual and actual realms, as applied to Jafar Panahi’s No Bears unveils a tapestry of profound insights and philosophical depths. Deleuze, in his theorisation, postulates the existence of every object in a perpetual dual state, a notion that finds a resonant echo in Panahi’s cinematic artistry.

The film, through Deleuze’s lens, emerges as a quintessential exemplar of the intricate coexistence of diegetic reality, interwoven seamlessly with its virtual and actual dimensions. For Deleuze, the virtual realm is not an ephemeral or abstract construct but a concrete element of reality’s architecture, comprising differential elements, intricate relations, and singular points of convergence and divergence.

In a bold challenge to traditional philosophical dogmas, Deleuze’s philosophy disrupts the notion of objects existing in a purely actual state, isolated from any other existential dimension. He envisions objects as enshrouded in a ‘cloud of virtual images’ (Deleuze, 2002, p. 148): a rich network of coexisting, interdependent circuits of reality. This visionary perspective finds a profound resonance in Panahi’s cinematic approach, where the director skilfully navigates and actualizes these virtual realms, thereby crafting a cinematic reality that transcends and blurs the conventional boundaries demarcating film and life.

Unveiling the Film-Philosophical Layers in No Bears

A poignant scene in No Bears vividly encapsulates Deleuze’s philosophy. Panahi, journeying towards the “swear room,” finds himself at the edge of a quaint village at twilight. Here, he encounters an elderly villager who shares an enigmatic narrative about nocturnal bears, a metaphor for the ancient fears and superstitions embedded in rural lore.

This dialogue transcends mere conversation, morphing into a multi-layered metaphor. The elder’s paradoxical statement, “There are no bears,” coupled with the retort from Panahi’s companion, unveils a profound truth about human nature: our propensity to fabricate fears, often baseless or exaggerated, that distort our perceived reality. This revelation reflects how these unfounded anxieties can empower others, casting long shadows over our existence and shaping the collective consciousness. The scene becomes a powerful commentary on the human condition, seamlessly intertwining metaphor with cinematic narrative.

No Bears, through its nuanced storytelling and visual language, raises profound questions about cinema’s role and the ethical considerations surrounding its participants. It invites introspective contemplation on cinema’s power to transform and redefine reality, a concept echoing Deleuze’s theory on the coexistence and interplay of the virtual and actual realms. In this cinematic universe, the portrayed reality, though virtual on screen, maintains a connection to actuality, with its interpretation and impact varying subjectively, influenced by each viewer’s personal perspective and life experiences.

The Embodied Metaphorical ‘Bears’: A Deeper Dive into Deleuze’s Interpretation of Fear and Reality’s Fabric

In the symbolic universe of No Bears, the metaphor of the ‘bears’ serves as a compelling lens through which to explore our collective fears, societal impositions, and our intricate relationship with the environment that envelops us. Deleuze’s interpretation of the virtual and actual realms provides an insightful key to deciphering this embodied metaphor. In this philosophical framework, bears are not merely physical entities but rather embodiments of the manifestation of our deepest fears, societal constraints, and our intricate interplay with our surroundings. Deleuze elucidates how virtual images, deeply interwoven with actual objects, exert a profound influence in shaping and moulding the fabric of reality. He describes a continuum where virtual images intersect and intertwine with actual objects, fostering a dynamic, ever-evolving interplay.

This continuum, characterized by temporal fragmentation and a fluidity of existence, propels the narrative and thematic arc of the virtual object. Within this schema, the plane of immanence acts as a crucible, encompassing both the virtual and its actualization, with no rigid demarcation between the two. The actual realm emerges from this process of actualization, intrinsically dependent on the virtual framework. This process eloquently demonstrates how virtual elements are materialized into tangible, experiential reality, thereby shaping individual experiences and perceptions.

Conclusion: Unveiling the Transformative Power of Panahi’s Cinematic Genius

In conclusion, No Bears by Jafar Panahi, when examined through the philosophical prism of Gilles Deleuze, emerges as a profound exploration of the intricate interplay between the realms of cinema and reality. The film, with its masterful navigation of the actual and virtual dimensions, challenges established cinematic paradigms and beckons viewers to engage in a contemplative journey exploring the intricate relationship between art and existence. Panahi’s cinematic oeuvre stands as a testament to the transformative power of cinema, transcending its role as a mere medium of storytelling to become a conduit for deeper philosophical inquiry and societal introspection.

Bibliography:

Deleuze, Gilles (1991) Bergsonism. New York: Zone Books.

Deleuze, Gilles (1997) ‘The Actual and the Virtual.’ ANY: Architecture New York, No. 19/20 pp. 19.6-19.7

Deleuze, Gilles (2002) The actual and the virtual (E. R. Albert, Trans.). In: G. Deleuze & C. Parnet (Eds.), Dialogues II (pp. 148–152). Continuum.