“Beautifully poetic and deeply insightful.”

You would be forgiven for never having heard of Siâvash Karampour or his band The Yellow Dogs, despite being considered quite an influential artistic voice. Unless one is familiar with the intricate history of the Iranian post-rock and punk scene, or perhaps a devotee of the well-received but slightly obscure musical comedy No One Knows About Persian Cats (in which he and his band are featured prominently), his work is likely unknown to a large portion of the audience. However, he’s such a magnetic presence that the moment he enters into the viewer’s orbit, we find it impossible to forget him, either as an artist or as a person. This becomes abundantly clear with Into the Jaws of the Ogre, a film directed by his sister Mahsa Karampour. She sets out to tell the story of her brother’s journey, leaving Tehran at a crucial moment, and finding himself an exile in New York City, where he and his band become minor sensations in the underground punk movement. Conversely, his sister also left their native Iran, but settled in France, where she became a different kind of artist, marking her directorial debut with this film. Two very different paths that converge in Into the Jaws of the Ogre, a film that tackles a range of fascinating subjects with empathy and nuance. We find ourselves being immersed in a complex but beautiful story of human connection, artistic expression and a melancholic depiction of the lengths to which we go to feel a sense of belonging in a hostile, inexplicably challenging world.

There are various conceptual threads that bind this film together, and the director is working from several perspectives in terms of what she is trying to communicate. However, the central thesis statement is best summarised by a quote from Leonard Bernstein, who famously said, “music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable”. A sentiment that we find very compatible with the subject of Into the Jaws of the Ogre, a film built entirely around the idea of music being able to say what spoken words never could, since it has far more space for freeform self-expression. The director posits that art is not merely there for the purpose of entertainment, but also as one of the purest forms of resistance, a vessel through which one can filter every existential quandary and furious frustration in a form that is constructive and, most crucially, accessible to those willing to hear these messages, subtle as they may be. At a glance, it does seem to be a relatively conventional overview of The Yellow Dogs and their rise to low-level stardom amongst this niche audience, showing their efforts to create captivating and meaningful songs that contain bitter truths about the immigrant experience and the challenges of existing in an environment that is not always accepting of those from outside its clearly defined boundaries. The film dismantles common perceptions of punk, presenting a wider and more complex view of the genre, which it positions as encompassing more than just a specific style or sound, but rather a much deeper, storied history, this element alone being worth the price of admission.

What eventually does become evident is that this film is not merely a documentary about an obscure punk band, but rather a deeper and more nuanced portrait of family and identity, as shown through the story of two siblings who share a common origin, but who ventured off on widely divergent paths, both in terms of vocation and location. This becomes fertile ground for an invigorating and intriguing exploration of their relationship, highlighting their differences and similarities. Framing Into the Jaws of the Ogre is essentially the story of the Iranian diaspora, showing the director and her brother as two of the countless people who left Iran over the years, seeking prosperity and security elsewhere. Yet they are always followed by the spectre of their homeland, which they unequivocally adore, while knowing it has changed in ways that are not likely to be reversed anytime soon, being a far cry from the country of their ancestors. Through these fascinating glimpses into the creative process of its subjects, we see the collective history of their culture quietly emerging into what becomes an unexpectedly layered work. This all goes towards answering the many questions that the film raises around freedom, trying to understand the mental state of those who manage to flee an oppressive system, being physically free but still guided by the psychological presence that tends to linger. Many concepts define this film, and the simple, direct style of storytelling employed by the director ties everything together beautifully and with a precision that highlights the core themes that guide the narrative.

Into the Jaws of the Ogre is a film that doesn’t need to spend too much time justifying its existence, since while it tells a specific story about a sister attempting to understand her very complicated brother through a series of conversations between the pair, it does hold some universal themes, many of them familiar to us, especially in terms of how she focuses on the more intricate elements of their relationship. It’s a self-assured, confident debut that not only creates a vivid portrait of a fascinating musician but also an impressive introduction to the director, who seems poised to become an essential new voice in contemporary arthouse cinema, especially with the recent influx of stories about the Iranian diaspora. The film takes a multi-pronged approach to exploring these themes – it is about Iran and also about the United States, showing how Siâvash works to assimilate himself into American society, while also not neglecting his roots. It all comes together to form the foundation of a persona, both public and private, that is nothing if not wholeheartedly eccentric, but where his vulnerabilities become increasingly clear. This eventually makes way for a film that is primarily about two people exploring their identities in various ways, their conversations revealing the fact that they are both in constant search of a sense of belonging, using their art as a means of self-expression and quiet resistance in a world that tends to be hostile to those who dare to defy the carefully curated social order, which is the foundation of the punk music that is so central to this story. Beautifully poetic and deeply insightful, Into the Jaws of the Ogre is a fascinating document of two people who decide to allow the audience into their lives, daring to be known in a time when hiding behind masks, whether physical or metaphorical, has never been more convenient.