Facts and criticism of ‘Days of Life’

ifilm has aired ‘Days of Life’ on Saturday night, with 3 replays on Sunday at 4, 10 and 16 (GMT); here’s an assortment of critic reviews on the movie, as well as some interesting facts.

1. A multitude of films have portrayed stories of the medics sacrifices back in the 80s, when the Iranian forces where fighting against Iraqi Saddam’s invasion to Iran; none has so far illustrated a nurse’s character better than this movie.
2. It won the best lead actress prize at the 30th Fajr Film Festival, with 24 other nominations, and 3 other awards from the same festival.
3. The lead actor says he neither had the experience of depicting a doctor, nor a blind. He had primarily rejected the offer, but later on, as the screenplay was changed, he was dragged into the filming.
4. The scene in which the mortar shell was lingering in a soldier’s hand, was based on a true case. Even blast experts were hesitating to approach the mortar, when the surgeon bravely did so. The shell was any moment expected to go off, and the doctor later on said he had prepared himself for martyrdom.
5. The same doctor had over and over again stayed up for 72-hour periods non-stop; he would take cold showers in winter, to stay awake and continue to serve the injured.
6. The dramatic ingredient of the movie’s mix was artistically chronicled, which shows some hidden corners of Iran's 8-year sacred defense.
7. The film’s quick progression to the focal point, where a field hospital is forced to serve a plethora of injured fighters, amid an unexpected attack by the enemy, and right after the UN cease-fire resolution is implemented, is made artistically.
8. The film at times condemns war as a ruinous phenomenon, while it supports resistance vis-à-vis invaders of the homeland.
9. And last but not least, the flick’s dialogs are among its advantages, with the calm Dr. Amirali, who at times blends an oxymoron of humor and sober.

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