‘From Karkheh to Rhein’ to display post war trauma

iFilm weekend movie ‘From Karkheh to Rhein’ artistically depicts the traumatic effects of war and post-war through an internal journey of an Iranian war veteran.

'From Karkheh to Rhein', directed by Ebrahim Hatamikia, is about Saeed who is the victim of the chemical weapon used in the Iraqi war against Iran.

To undergo an eyesight surgery, Saeed heads to Germany to stay with his sister Leila and her German husband and child.

He regains his vision after a gap of three years and now has a new and fatal life ahead of him, and the sister sees Saeed as a window to the memories of the distant and dear past. Saeed is in preparation for a return to Iran when the results of his latest medical tests disrupt everything.

The story of this acclaimed Iranian war drama slowly develops from the perspective of a person to family and then to the society, ticking off one to think. The strife and pain of war have had tragic outcomes that cross the borders and create emotional turmoil.

The victims of war are portrayed with intercuts from the war clippings. The interviews in the hospital bring out the social angle of war and the vested interests involved in the war game.

There is a scene that pushes the movie to its climax when Saeed shouts God out loud for dying in a place like Germany not during the war and we see a drunk man also shouting the same way. The coincidence changes the way he looks at God.

'From Karkheh to Rhein', made in 1993, is scheduled to go on air at 22:00 GMT on June 4, 2022.

iFilm English TV will also repeat the movie the next day at 04:00, 10:00 and 16:00 (all GMT times).

Ali Dehkordi, Parviz Sheikh-Tadi and late actress Homa Rousta appeared as the casting team along with Heinz Neumann, Noorbert Hanzing, Nikel Gril and Andreas Kurtz as the German actors of the movie.

MM/AG