Still Life
An aging railway crossing guard endures decades of repetitive duty and domestic silence in a stark portrait of Iranian isolation.
Overview
A poignant exploration of solitude and duty unfolds at a forgotten train station.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Glacial
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- melancholic
- austere
- contemplative
- quiet evening
- reflective viewing
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Mohamad’s crossing-guard duties and his wife’s sewing recur with mechanical regularity across the film.
The isolated station and uneventful family home reduce Mohamad’s life to repetitive labor and waiting.
The film’s austere observation, non-sensational drama, and attention to provincial Iranian life align with an important strand of Iranian art cinema.
Alienation and stagnation define Mohamad’s decades-long post at the desolate station and his quiet marriage.
Films like Still Life, and why
The Silence
shared slow cinema pacing, austere realism, and focus on routine and social alienation
Taste of Cherry
shared minimalist observation, rural isolation, and quiet existential drama
Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
shared durational attention to repetitive labor, marginal lives, and stark social realism
Movie Details
- Director
- Sohrab Shahid-Saless
- Release Date
- 1974-06-29
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (27)
Cast
- Zadour Bonyadi
- Zahra Yazdani
- Hibibollah Safarian
- Majid Baghaie
- Hedayatollah Navid
- Mohammad-Reza Samimi
- Noorollah Googlani
- Hossein-Ali Bidogli
- Mohammed Kani
- Mahini
Common questions
- What is Still Life about?
- An aging railway crossing guard endures decades of repetitive duty and domestic silence in a stark portrait of Iranian isolation.
- What is Still Life like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Still Life as glacial, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Still Life violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Still Life.
- Which films are like Still Life?
- Films with a similar feel include The Silence, Taste of Cherry, and Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles.
- How long is Still Life?
- Still Life runs 90 minutes.
