“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 quite prominently), his work is likely entirely 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 in Into the Jaws of the Ogre, a film that is directed by his sister Mahsa Karampour. She sets out to tell the story of her brother and his journey from 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 together in Into the Jaws of the Ogre, a film that tackles a range of fascinating subjects with empathy and nuance, and 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 many different conceptual threads that bind this film together, and the director is working from several perspectives in terms of what she is trying to communicate with this film. However, the central thesis statement is best summarised by a quote by Leonard Bernstein, who famously said, “music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable”. A sentiment that we find is very much 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 proves to have 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 leave an impression through creating captivating and meaningful songs that contain bitter truths about the immigrant experience and the challenges that come with 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 history of the genre, which it positions as encompassing more than just a specific style or sound, but rather contains a much deeper, storied history, elegantly laid out by the film, this element alone being worth the price of admission.

What eventually does become more evident throughout this film is that this 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 paths that widely deviated, both in terms of vocation and location, which becomes fertile ground for an invigorating and intriguing exploration of their relationship, highlighting both their differences and similarities. Framing Into the Jaws of the Ogre is essentially the story of the Iranian diaspora, using the director and her brother as two of the countless people who left Iran over the years, seeking prosperity and security elsewhere, but always being followed by the spectre of their homeland, which they unequivocally adore, but know has changed in ways that are not likely to be reversed anytime soon, being a far-cry from the country of their ancestors. Through offering 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 works 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 very much 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 very specific story that is more 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 which will be 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 proves to be a vivid portrait of a fascinating musician but also an impressive introduction to a 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. It takes a multi-pronged approach to exploring these themes – it is as much about Iran as it is the United States, showing how Siâvash works to assimilate himself into American society, while also not allowing himself to neglect his roots, which all come 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 more 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 for a sense of belonging, using their art as a means of self-expression and quiet resistance as they search for their place in a world that tends to be quite 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.