A Moment of Innocence (Persian: نون و گلدون, written in the Latin alphabet as Nūn o Goldūn) is a 1996 comedy-drama film directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf. The film is also known by other names, including Nun va Goldoon, Bread and Flower, Bread and Flower Pot, and The Bread and the Vase.
Plot
The film is based on the director's own life and tells a story about making a film within a film. It describes Makhmalbaf's experience as a teenager when, at seventeen, he stabbed a police officer during a protest and was sent to jail.
Twenty years later, Makhmalbaf decided to look for the officer he had hurt in an effort to say sorry. A Moment of Innocence is a made-up version of that real event.
Cast
- Mirhadi Tayebi as The Policeman
- Mohsen Makhmalbaf as The Director
- Ammar Tafti as The Young Director
- Ali Bakhsi as The Young Policeman
- Maryam Mohamadamini as The Young Woman
Reception
Although the film was banned in Iran, Western critics gave it mostly positive reviews. Mike D'Angelo described A Moment of Innocence as a mix of autobiography, documentary, and mythology, calling it a bold example of human kindness and love. He also said the film's final scene was one of the best ever, comparing it to a famous moment in The 400 Blows. Stuart Klawans of The Nation encouraged readers to contact him if they saw another film that showed people's pain, fears, and dreams as clearly. One negative review came from Mick Lasalle of the San Francisco Chronicle, who called the film "boring," "confusing," and "too long," and suggested the director's style was "selfish" and "irritating."
On the website Rotten Tomatoes, 89% of 27 critics gave the film positive reviews. The site's summary said the film explores truth and memory with care and humor, calling it a standout achievement in the director's career. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave the film a score of 70 out of 100 based on 9 critics, meaning most reviews were favorable.
In the 2012 Sight & Sound poll of the greatest films of all time, A Moment of Innocence was ranked 235th. It tied with three other films as the second-highest ranked Iranian film, following Close-Up, which the director also starred in.
The film won a Crystal Simorgh award for Best Sound Recording. The award was given to Nezamoddin Kiaie.