Hilal Özdemir writes: The World War III of a crying puppy

Hilal Özdemir

Wars, bombs, destroyed cities, and hopes…

“History does not repeat itself, but it often rhymes”

Opening with this powerful sentence, the film Jang-e Jahani Sevom / World War III strikingly reveals the destructive effects of war, the personal struggles of individuals, and social chaos.

Iran, despite being at the center of criticism due to its Islamic revolution, is a country with a deep-rooted history and cultural heritage. Its success in cinema, in particular, is too significant to be ignored.

The golden age of cinema, which began with director Abbas Kiarostami, continues with Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Jafar Panahi, Asghar Farhadi, Majid Majidi, and Bahman Ghobadi, who followed in his footsteps.

Directors who continue to make films under difficult conditions due to the regime in Iran crown their success with awards they receive internationally.

Iranian actor, screenwriter, and director Houman Seyyedi's latest film, World War III, was released in 2022. The screenplay belongs to Houman Seyyedi, Arian Vazirdaftari, and Azad Jafarian; the film stars Mohsen Tanabandeh, Mahsa Hejazi, Navid Nosrati, and Neda Jebraeili.

Shakib is a homeless man who lost his wife and child in an earthquake and works odd jobs at construction sites. The only person in his life is Ladan, a sex worker who is deaf and mute. In the first scene of the film, we watch Shakib and Ladan communicating in sign language.

Shakib: I saw a puppy whose mother was hit by a car. She was dead. The puppy was still next to her, drinking milk. The mother still had milk. The puppy was hungry. It was drinking milk and crying.

Ladan: Well, what did you do? Did you save it?

Shakib: …

Shakib's silence to the question “Did you save it?” carries a very deep message for the later scenes of the film.

Shakib learns that the construction site where he works is a film set for a Holocaust movie. He first joins the set as an extra, but when the lead actor suddenly falls ill, he finds himself in the role of Hitler. This man, who has lost everything in his life, is suddenly placed in the “red house” on the film set; he is treated with tea and food. However, when he takes off his uniform, he faces the cruelty of real life once again.

When Ladan learns that Shakib has a new job and a place to stay, she escapes from those who exploit her, hoping to build a new life. However, nothing goes as Ladan expected. While trying to find money to save Ladan, Shakib is forced to lie to those around him. Meanwhile, in a scene on the set, the “red house” is blown up as required by the script. Although the set crew is sure that the house is empty, Ladan, who is deaf, does not hear the explosion in her hiding place and loses her life under the rubble. Just as he could not help the puppy at the beginning of the film, Shakib cannot save Ladan either.

Shakib, who says he hid his girlfriend in the house that was blown up, is surprised by the indifference of the set workers who learn of this situation. Because for the people there, finishing the film on time is more important than the person who died. Embittered by what he has been through, when Shakib puts on the Hitler costume for the final scene, he embodies Hitler not only physically but also spiritually. The bad ending he prepares for the set crew shows that there is no limit to what a person who has been hardened by life and has no one left behind can do.

World War III, contrary to its name, is not a story of a real world war; it is a narrative that symbolizes the personal struggles of the characters and social chaos. Instead of making a classic Holocaust film, director Seyyedi treats war as a secondary element through a film set. Nevertheless, he conveys the devastating effect of war on innocent people with striking scenes.

The saying “History does not repeat itself, but it often rhymes” fulfills itself when the film ends.

The Jews, who were once subjected to genocide, are now raining bombs on Gaza under the leadership of Netanyahu, who has taken on the likeness of Hitler. With US support behind it, it attacks Iran. While the leaders clash with each other, it is the innocent people like Shakib who suffer. People who leave behind bittersweet memories are forced to leave the places where they lived.

“When will World War III break out” is always discussed. Yet, there is no need to name wars with numbers. People's ‘world’ consists of their loved ones. For people living in cities in the shadow of bombs, losing their loved ones means their world is destroyed. If we count the people who have lost their lives in wars from the past to the present, we cannot calculate how many world wars have been experienced.