Synopsis

The lives, feelings and position of members of a family whose son has emigrated and who has not been in touch for years.

One day a stranger comes to their home with a request from the son Jamshid for them to record video greetings for him.

His sister and ill father are bitter about his desertion of them and the impact it has had on their lives, and his mother tries to put on a brave front.



Younger brother Omid is keen, but Jamshid's wife Vida is full of pain and feels hurt and abandoned. --bfi

Cast: Ahoo Kheradmand, Mohsen Ghazi Moradi, Parviz Shahinkhou, Leila Zare, Ali Rashvand, Aida Keykhahni, Melika Emami


*****

Director Bijan Mirbagheri seems to have taken a cue from American independents in this tale of a dysfunctional middle-class family whose private animosities explode when a video camera comes into their midst. 

Oldest son Jamshid has been abroad for six years, leaving his parents, siblings, wife and young daughter adrift.

When Jamshid sends word that he would like his family to prepare a video tape for him, their initial attempts at cheer soon devolve into bitter arguments and secret confessions. 

Dexterous cutting between video and 35mm as well as a powerful ensemble cast fuel this moving exploration of the consequences of emigration for the people left behind.