
MohammadShirvani’scaptivatingfeaturerevealsanintenselypersonalvisionasitexploresgenderedandgenerationalconflicts.Thefilmintroducesustoafatherandhisson;theoldermanisobese,unwell,andoppressiveinhisdealingswiththeyounger,whoisalsodeafandmute.Aseriesofcryptic,spellbindingepisodesrevealsatyrannicalpaternalismatworkthathaslongsincehardenedintoaclosedcircuitofmutualpain.Enteramysteriousandbeautifulwomanofunspecifiedidentity,whobecomesanagentofchange,embodyingbothanevolvedconsciousnessandthepowerofthefemaleasarebuketobankruptpatriarchy.<br/> Characteristicallyexperimentingwithfilmform,Shirvaniisrigorousandmasterfulinhisstorytellinghere,introducingsituationsandbehaviorswithoutqualificationsothatminutedetailssurgewithsymbolicweight.Sensitivelymodulatedsoundandsearchingcameraworkextracttellingcluesfrommyriadstratawhiletheimpliednarrativeattachestothepowerfullyrealized,archetypicalcharacterslikeavapor.-S.K.
