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A 4-film set of the genre-defying, time-bending mysteries of Iranian director Shahram Mokri including FISH & CAT and CARELESS CRIME
A hypnotic journey through the fluid boundaries of time and storytelling, The Time-Bending Mysteries of Shahram Mokri brings together four groundbreaking films from one of Iran's most visionary contemporary directors. Known for his daring narratives and circular structures, Shahram Mokri crafts mysteries that unfold like dreams—at once suspenseful, surreal, and deeply human.
This four-film collection includes Careless Crime (Jenayat-e Bi Deghat), Fish & Cat (Mahi va Gorbeh), Invasion (Hojoum), and Ashkan, The Charmed Ring and Other Stories (Ashkan, Angoshtar-e Motebarek va Dastan-Haye Digar), each newly presented with exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes material.
Careless Crime (2020) interlaces three distinct timelines—of individuals plotting to burn down a movie theater, of the audience within, and of the film being screened inside that theater—into a reflection on cinema, memory, and national trauma. Inspired by the real-life 1978 Cinema Rex fire that ignited the Iranian Revolution, it’s a masterwork of temporal storytelling and social commentary.
Fish & Cat (2013), Mokri's internationally acclaimed single-take thriller, reimagines the American slasher film through an art-house lens. Following a group of campers near a remote restaurant run by two ominous figures, the film loops through eerie encounters and repetitions that evoke the haunting logic of Stalker more than Friday the 13th.
Ashkan, The Charmed Ring and Other Stories (2008), Mokri's debut feature, reveals his taste for dark humor and fate-driven narrative. Shot in crisp black-and-white, its interconnected vignettes recall the cool detachment of Stranger Than Paradise and the stylized intensity of Reservoir Dogs, weaving chance and consequence into a melancholy urban mosaic.
Finally, Invasion (2017) ventures into futuristic noir. In a dimly lit sports complex where time seems suspended, athletes, detectives, and mysterious figures collide in a looping investigation that merges crime story, science fiction, and existential puzzle.
Bonus features include an all-new four-part interview series with Shahram Mokri discussing the making of each film, along with rare behind-the-scenes footage from Careless Crime featuring Mokri's own commentary. Additional extras include The Making of an Impossible Film and The Quest for Origins – Trauma, Cinema and Storytelling in Tarsem's The Fall video essays, offering deeper insight into Mokri's creative process and visual approach.
Both a deep dive into Mokri's singular world and a celebration of Iranian art cinema's boundary-pushing evolution, The Time-Bending Mysteries of Shahram Mokri is a landmark collection for cinephiles drawn to mystery, philosophy, and the strange elasticity of time itself.
Media
Bonus Materials
- New 4-part video interview with Shahram Mokri about his career and the making of ASHKAN, FISH & CAT, INVASION and CARELESS CRIME
- Behind-the-scenes footage of CARELESS CRIME with new commentary by Shahram Mokri
