DIRECTOR: MOHAMMAD RASOULOF
IRAN, 2009
Rasoulof’s enigmatic feature tells the story of Rahmat, an elderly man who collects the tears of souls in pain in a tiny pitcher—remaining all the while a nonjudgmental witness to the absurd havoc wreaked by the powers that be. Traveling by boat to scenes of sorrow through a seascape dotted with salty white islands and cliffs, he encounters a woman consigned to the sea for rejecting an unwanted marriage, an artist punished for his choice of colors, a young virgin drowned as a sacrifice to the gods in hopes of rain, and other unfortunates. An allegory for government persecution of artistic expression, this elegant, poetic feature is both timely and timeless. Like the waters Rahmat sails, the tears of the grief-stricken, which are said to turn to pearls, are expansive. (92 mins.)