This article examines the ontological dimensions of Iranian art cinema as a form of poetic resistance against the technological rationality and objectifying gaze of Western modernity. Drawing on Martin Heidegger’s critique of technology (Gestell) and his conceptualisation of truth as Aletheia, as well as Jean-Luc Nancy’s ontology of cinematographic evidence, this study argues that Iranian cinema transcends mere socio-political representation. Directors such as Abbas Kiarostami, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, and Majid Majidi, who adopt the structural characteristics of classical Persian poetry-particularly the ghazal form-and creatively transcend the constraints of the `Islamicate gaze’, employ an aesthetic characterised by ellipsis, simultaneity, and allegory. Through a philosophical analysis of key cinematic metaphors-such as meandering paths, the phenomenological screen, and the ethics of the face-in films such as The Taste of Cherry, Shirin, and The Wind Will Carry Us, this article demonstrates how this cinematic tradition subverts the absolute transparency imposed by modern representation. Consequently, this study concludes that Iranian cinema constructs a poetic sanctuary that invites the audience into a realm of ethical intimacy and existential presence, offering a profound antidote to the cultural schizophrenia triggered by the crisis of modernity.
This article examines the ontological dimensions of Iranian art cinema as a form of poetic resistance against the technological rationality and objectifying gaze of Western modernity. Drawing on Martin Heidegger’s critique of technology (Gestell) and his conceptualisation of truth as Aletheia, as well as Jean-Luc Nancy’s ontology of cinematographic evidence, this study argues that Iranian cinema transcends mere socio-political representation. Directors such as Abbas Kiarostami, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, and Majid Majidi, who adopt the structural characteristics of classical Persian poetry-particularly the ghazal form-and creatively transcend the constraints of the `Islamicate gaze’, employ an aesthetic characterised by ellipsis, simultaneity, and allegory. Through a philosophical analysis of key cinematic metaphors-such as meandering paths, the phenomenological screen, and the ethics of the face-in films such as The Taste of Cherry, Shirin, and The Wind Will Carry Us, this article demonstrates how this cinematic tradition subverts the absolute transparency imposed by modern representation. Consequently, this study concludes that Iranian cinema constructs a poetic sanctuary that invites the audience into a realm of ethical intimacy and existential presence, offering a profound antidote to the cultural schizophrenia triggered by the crisis of modernity.
