Living in a courtyard house provides a physical–cultural context in which neighbors become aware of the “details” of one another’s lives. Meanwhile, these revealed facts encourage neighbors to “participate” and “help” one another. They have a semi-private space, which allows them to “gather” and help without entering one another’s private realms. Neighbors clean the courtyard to prepare it for the arrival of a suitor. In an impressive scene, neighbors form a human chain to hide one of the residents who is wanted by the police. In another sequence, all the tenants attack and hit the landlord. All these “collaborative activities” happen in the central courtyard; its semi-private quality increases the sense of community and proximity.

GOHARIPOUR, HAMED: NARRATIVES OF A LOST SPACE: A SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS OF CENTRAL COURTYARDS IN IRANIAN CINEMA (2019)

  • Uploaded by
    Crim Ileana, Karbeyaz Cagri
  • Uploaded on
    191216