MAROONED IN IRAQ

Gomgashtei dar Aragh

Director Bahman Ghobadi / 2002 / Iran

During the Iran-Iraq war an old Kurdish singer, Mizra, receives word that his estranged wife, Hanareh, is in trouble.Tricking his two sons into joining him, Mizra sets off to Iraq in search of the woman who abandoned him 23 years ago for his best friend. As they journey on, the two brothers discover their own quests; Odeh, who has seven wives and 13 daughters, but no son, searches for another wife to indulge his patriarchal desires; Barat, a bachelor, is bewitched by the singing voice of a girl he fleetingly meets on their travels.

As the three men make their way over the harsh Iranian landscape, they are ambushed and have to flee from the bombs that litter the countryside. When all hope seems lost, the three men encounter a group of Kurdish refugees and their seemingly tragic quest turns into a hopeful one.The journey ahead is filled with new friends and an exuberant love of life and music radiates from the screen.

Celebrated director Bahman Ghobadi, who enthralled MIFF audiences in 2001 with A Time For Drunken Horses, returns with another striking and haunting film.

Back To Index