Cinema iFilm highlights ‘Baran’

Cinema iFilm has highlighted ‘Baran’ written and directed by Majid Majidi.

The movie is a 2001 production based on an original script by Majidi.

‘Baran’ is set during recent times in which there are many Afghan refugees living on the outskirts of Tehran.

It is winter in Tehran. Lateef is 17. He works at a construction site managed by Memar. Lateef prepares and serve tea and food for the workers with whom he frequently quarrels.

They come from throughout Iran, but particularly Iran’s Azarbaijan region. Some are refugees from Afghanistan. They have no identity cards and are employed illegally.

When labor inspectors arrive, they must hide. An Afghan worker, Najaf, falls, breaks his leg and is taken to hospital. Soltan, another Afghani, brings in Rahmat, Najaf's son, who is around 14 years old, to replace him.

Memar soon realizes that Rahmat is too young and switches the jobs of Rahmat and Lateef. Lateef is furious, threatens Rahmat, tries to sabotage his work, and spies on him.

One day, he is shocked to discover that Rahmat is a girl. As he watches her comb her hair, he becomes disoriented and hears strange sounds. His attitude changes; he becomes protective, helpful and desperately in love.

While Rahmat does not express herself, over time she seems to respond. During a surprise visit of the inspectors, they encounter Rahmat. She panics and flees, and they pursue her.

Lateef restrains the inspectors, allowing Rahmat to escape. Lateef is beaten and arrested. Memar must pay a fine, comply with the law, and lay off all illegals.

Lateef can't bear Rahmat's absence, and seeks Soltan for news. He goes to where the Afghans live, walks around, meets an enigmatic cobbler, and ends up in the courtyard of a shrine near a graveyard where Afghanis are gathered for a milk ceremony.

He inquires about Soltan, but gets no clues. Among the Afghans stands Rahmat in female clothing. She sees Lateef, stares at him, and then leaves. Lateef is not aware of her.

The next day, he finds Soltan, and learns that Rahmat works near the river. Lateef rushes there to find Rahmat working unhappily with other women carrying heavy stones.

He is distressed, and wants to find a way to help her. He obtains his wages and hands them to Soltan to pass them to Najaf. They agree to meet the next day at the shrine.

Instead of Soltan, Najaf shows up to inform Lateef that Soltan has gone to Afghanistan. He tells Lateef that Soltan came to him and offered him money he'd borrowed from someone but he refused it and advised Soltan to use it to leave for Afghanistan where he had a serious family issue.

The next day Lateef overhears that Najaf is also faced with family problems in Afghanistan, as his brother has been killed. He hears Rahmat's real name is Baran. Lateef goes to find Baran.

The next morning, Najaf is at the construction site begging Memar unsuccessfully for a loan. Lateef sells the only valuable thing he has, his identity card.

When he brings the money, Lateef learns that Najaf and his family will use it to return to Afghanistan. Lateef is overwhelmed and finds refuge in the shrine. There, he hears the same sounds he heard when he first saw Baran. He accepts his fate.

The next day, while helping Najaf to load a truck with household effects, Lateef is finally face-to-face with Baran. Through eye contact and proximity, they exchange their feelings of love.

As Baran covers herself and walks to the truck, her shoe gets stuck. Lateef takes her shoe out of the mud, and hands it to her.

The truck takes Baran away. Alone, Lateef stares at the footstep in the mud, and smiles while the rain covers it.

Cast list of ‘Baran’ includes Hossein Abedini, Zahra Bahrami, Mohammad-Amir Naji, Abbas Rahimi, Gholam-Ali Bakhshi, and Hossein Mahjoub.

The movie won a number of domestic and global awards, including Grand Prix of the Americas Award for Best Film at the Montreal World Film Festival, Best Screenplay and Best Director at the Gijón International Film Festival, Oecumenical Special Award for Best Film at the Montreal World Film Festival, as well as Best Film and Best Director Awards at the Fajr International Film Festival.

MG/MG