Though the history of cinema in Azerbaijan dates back to the 19th century, it is not often that the oil-rich nation makes news for its films. That should not be very surprising, for, very few films are made in the country that was part of the erstwhile Soviet Union.
But, Inner City , which was screened on the fifth day of the Kozhikode International Film Festival, proves that there is no dearth of cinematic talent in Azerbaijan. The film, directed by Ilgar Safat, is about a teenaged girl and her relations with her mother and a much older man.
Arzu is beautiful and bright, and wants to become a doctor like her mother Sabina. Fond of classical music, she takes private lessons in piano from an elderly woman in the neighbourhood.
One day, her music teacher does not feel well and she is forced to take lessons from her son Rafael, who is living with a troubled past and apparently unstable mind. She falls in love with him, breaking the heart of her mother.
The film’s title is taken from the Inner City in the Azerbaijan capital of Baku, the history of which begins in the 12th century. The director tries to show every individual has one’s own inner city. And he does succeed in bringing out the inner struggles of the three main characters. He does it with sensitivity, too.
Those characters are safe in the hands of Tahmina Rafaella (Arzu), Firdovsi Atakisiyev (Rafael) and Mekhriban Zeki (Sabina). Tahmina, in fact, won the award for the best actress at the Lake Van International Film Festival in Turkey.
Acting, though, is not her only talent. The script of Inner City has been written by her.
