This is an unusual film of exceptional values--75 minutes long in color, with hardly any spoken dialogs. I saw this Iranian film in Farsi without English subtitles at the Early Iranian cinema retrospective on-going International Film Festival of Kerala, India. That I was watching a print without subtitles did not make a difference as there were very few lines of spoken dialogs.
This is a very accessible film for any audience to enjoy--its story and values are not merely Iranian, it's universal.
The film is set in rural Iran that had not tasted petro-dollar prosperity. The setting is on fringes of desert land, where water is scarce, rainfall scanty and hardly any blade of grass is green. Add to it wind and dust that buffets and whips man and animal and you can imagine plight of the people who live on the fringes of society.
The film is moving tale of a young teenager returning to his village with a goat--only to find his family and villagers have moved on to escape natures vagaries and that one old man remains. He gives the goat to him and goes in search of his family. Water is scarce and well water it treated with reverence and never wasted.
12岁的男孩里奥(杰克·霍林顿 Jack Hollington 饰)来到了同学马库斯(塞缪尔·乔斯林 Samuel Joslin 饰)的家里做客,在这里,里奥解释了马库斯的热情貌美的姐姐玛丽安(乔安娜·万德汉姆 Joanna Vanderham 饰),玛丽安常常带着里奥到处玩,里奥非常喜欢这个和蔼可亲的大姐姐。
一次偶然中,里奥来到了黑色农场,在这里,他遇见了农夫泰德(本·巴特 Ben Batt 饰),泰德委托里奥将一封信带给玛丽安,里奥照做了,虽然不知道信里写了什么,但是里奥发现,每当玛丽安收到信时,她都会露出发自内心的灿烂笑容,这就是对于里奥最好的褒奖。之后,里奥结识了退伍军人休(史蒂芬·坎贝尔·摩尔 Stephen Campbell Moore 饰),并且得知,玛丽安的家人决定将女儿许配给这个强壮风趣的男人。
在一个暴风雪的夜晚,夜莺号列车高速行驶,车上有一个收集伏特加的男人皮迪(史蒂夫•茨恩 Steve Zahn 饰),一个戴眼镜的女人克洛伊(莉莉•索博斯基 Leelee Sobieski 饰),一对下围棋的日本人,以及一只猫。到站时,列车员在外面抽烟,列车长迈尔斯(丹尼•格洛弗 Danny Glover 饰)前后巡视,突然从远处跑来一个抱着盒子的陌生男子,他想上车但没有票,而且他还不停地服药,迈尔斯出于同情,让他上了车。坐下后,他突然口吐白沫死亡。迈尔斯、皮迪和克洛伊惊讶地发现,死者手中的盒子里有价值连城的宝物。于是,三人决定毁尸灭迹,把宝物占为己有。利欲熏心的人们开始了争夺,期间陌生的老妇人和警察的介入,让过程愈加扑朔迷离。乘客一个个死去,这个宝物背后隐藏着不为人知的秘密……
Walter(理查·詹金斯 Richard Jenkins 饰)的生活一成不变,20多年来教同一门课程,与别人一起合著自己没有出过半分力的书,请私人教师学钢琴又难以与人相处。生活沉闷如一潭死水。直到与他合著出书的shelly待产而无法前去参加学术年会换成Walter出席,他的生命才赢来转变。
由于妻子去世而极少去纽约的Walter一回到纽约的家赫然发现家里有两个陌生人!误会过后才明白这对小情侣是被人所骗才租了这间屋子。Walter让他们留下,Tarek是来自叙利亚的热情的小伙子,热爱打鼓,他的女友则是来自塞内加尔的黑人。Walter被Tarek的开朗所打动,跟他学打鼓,还跟着他去公园参加少数族裔的打鼓练习。
这天Walter与Tarek练习过后赶着回家,过地铁时因为要过鼓Tarek错过了最好的过关卡的机会,从关卡上跳过时被警察逮捕拘留。Walter这才知道他们是非法移民,他为他聘请律师东奔西跑,毫无进展之际Tarek的母亲Mouna(西亚姆·阿巴斯 Hiyam Abbas 饰)因为担心儿子而上门,Walter安抚这位母亲焦急的情绪,带她去纽约四处散心,二人产生一种互相懂得理解的情愫。Walter从学校请了长假,决定留在纽约,去做他认为真正有意义且值得去做的事。