'Chicken With Plums' has its virtuoso moments

  In the original version, [Nasser-Ali Khan] played a tar, a long-necked, stringed instrument that resembles a lute and is popular in Iran and the Caucasus Mountains. Since it's an Iranian tale, it's not quite clear why the instrument was changed, except perhaps in the hope of reaching a l...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inGannett News Service
Main Author Takes a Claudia Puig movie review sig
Format Newsletter
LanguageEnglish
Published McLean USA Today, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc 06.09.2012
Subjects
Khan, Nasser-Ali
Puig, Claudia
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Summary:  In the original version, [Nasser-Ali Khan] played a tar, a long-necked, stringed instrument that resembles a lute and is popular in Iran and the Caucasus Mountains. Since it's an Iranian tale, it's not quite clear why the instrument was changed, except perhaps in the hope of reaching a larger, mainstream audience. It seems a strange revision, but it does emphasize the universality of artistry. An appealing sense of the absurd runs through Nasser-Ali's string of melancholy reveries. Prior to his decision to die, he traveled to a distant corner, his young son in tow, to buy a prized violin from sleazy salesman Houshang (Jamel Debbouze). This character brings vibrant life to a film that is often muted in tone. The salesman persuades Nasser-Ali to slip some opium in his son's milk to calm him. In the following scene, the young boy is seen asking a babysitter if she has any opium.