''Baran'' ( fa, باران ; literally: ''Rain'') is a 2001

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

ian film directed by

Majid Majidi Majid Majidi ( fa, مجید مجیدی, ; born 17 April 1959) is an Iranian film director, producer, and screenwriter, who started his film career as an actor. In his films, Majidi has touched on many themes and genres and has won numerous inte ...

, based on an original script by Majid Majidi. The movie is set during recent times in which there are many

Afghan refugees Afghan refugees are citizens of Afghanistan who were compelled to abandon their country as a result of major wars, persecution, torture or genocide. The 1978 Saur Revolution followed by the 1979 Soviet invasion marked the first wave of inter ...

living on the outskirts of Tehran. ''Baran'' won a number of awards both nationally and internationally for the director and writer Majid Majidi.

Synopsis

It is

winter Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures ...

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

. 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

, but particularly

Iranian Azerbaijan Azerbaijan or Azarbaijan ( fa, آذربایجان, ''Āzarbāijān'' ; az-Arab, آذربایجان, ''Āzerbāyjān'' ), also known as Iranian Azerbaijan, is a historical region in northwestern Iran that borders Iraq, Turkey, the Nakhchivan ...

. Some are refugees from

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. They have no identity cards and are employed illegally. When labour inspectors arrive, they must hide. An

Afghan Afghan may refer to: *Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia *Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity ** Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pas ...

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, 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 he 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 an exhausted Baran carrying logs. 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.

Release

Miramax released the film for viewing in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

on 7 December 2001.

Cast

Hossein Abedini Hossein Abedini ( fa, حسین عابدینی) is an Iranian actor. His debut film was '' Pedar'' (Father), which was released in 1996 and directed by Majid Majidi. He received critical acclaim after portraying Lateef, a 17-year-old native Iranian ...

as Lateef, worker * Zahra Bahrami as Baran/Rahmat *

Mohammad Amir Naji Reza Naji is an Iranian actor and an iconic figure of Iranian cinema. Naji started his career in theater when he was a teenager. While serving in the Iranian army, he continued to perform in different roles. His first role in a film goes back to ...

as Memar, employer * Abbas Rahimi as Soltan, another worker * Gholam Ali Bakhshi as Najaf, a worker, Rahmat/Baran's father

Awards

*2001 Grand Prix of the Americas Award for Best Film at the

Montreal World Film Festival The Montreal World Film Festival (WFF; french: le Festival des Films du Monde) was one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF (although the Toronto Internat ...

Awards 2001
. Festival des Films du Monde. *2001 Best Screenplay & Best Director at the

Gijón International Film Festival The Gijón International Film Festival ( ast, Festival Internacional de Cine de Xixón or ''FICXixón'') is an annual film festival held in Gijón, a city in northwest Spain. History The festival's origins date back to 1963. In the beginning i ...

*2001 Oecumenical Special Award for Best Film at the

*2001 Nominated Best Foreign Film

Satellite Awards The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take place ...

*2001 Best Film & Best Director Awards at the 19th

Fajr International Film Festival Iran's annual Fajr International Film Festival ( fa, جشنواره بین‌المللی فیلم فجر), or Fajr Film Festival (little: FIFF; fa, جشنواره فیلم فجر), has been held every February and April in Tehran since 1982. T ...

References

External links