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BACK
Before jumping into the details of this dramatic love
story, some cultural details need to be outlined. Afghanistan's poverty is
acknowledged fact. From control by the Soviets to that of the Taliban, the
average citizen has had little freedom. Hence, refugees risk exhaustive
trips to work in neighboring countries, such as Iran, in the hopes of
saving money and freeing the rest of their family.
This is where
Baran begins, at a construction site mostly functioning on illegal
Afghani immigrants, supervised by the kind but frugal Memar (Mohammad Reza
Naji). He hires them because they are cheap and work hard, though
government officials are constantly popping by to squash the use of this
labor force. Iran isn't the richest country either, and the stream of
immigrants grows everyday.
Lateef (Hossein Abedini), an Iran
native, is the caregiver to the crew, providing them with meals and tea.
He is often lazy, sarcastic, and hot-headed, much to the dismay of those
around him. He becomes incensed when he is moved to more rigorous duties
after an accident, and a young Afghani replaces him in his previous
stress-free post. His hostility quickly changes to chivalry when he finds
his predecessor is a woman, to whom he is instantly attracted.
The
rest of the film concentrates on his need to care for the object of his
infatuation. He follows her, finds ways to give her family money, and
cries to see her small frame hauling huge rocks. It's sweet to watch such
a humanistic turn in an obnoxious character, especially as Baran's (Zahra
Bahrami) plight is desperate and uncomplaining.
However, it begs
the question of why he never talks to her. He talks to everyone else in
her vicinity, but turns down any opportunity at interaction. Maybe it's a
cultural quirk incomprehensible from an American standpoint but after
watching someone chase after another for over an hour, some kind of
connection should be possible. The lack of even eye communication makes
the film feel longer as one good deed after another seems to bring no
reward.
On the other hand, it does feel like sincere love story,
without inane lust scenes to spoil the naïve emotions. Each new favor
Lateef thanklessly performs adds a touching moment of sharing pain. The
script is written meticulously, allowing body language and stares to
override the need for melodramatic dialogue in even the most depressing
situations.
Baran also derives a lyrical beauty through its
simple, underwhelming music score, set against a background of sad
geographic naturalism. The construction site is a cold, vulnerable shell
for government probing. The hovels that the immigrants live in have been
made comfortable, but seem like they could crumble at any moment. These
environs force people to look for solace in each other, but happiness is
not in the near future for Baran, and Lateef's sympathies are that much
more moving because of it.
Baran is an intelligent fiction
about learning through cultural clash. Though an outsider may not fully
appreciate the hardship of living in this situation, the portrayal of
human frailty and urge to assist at a loss to oneself is easy to relate
to.