Terrestrial Verses
Everyday life in Iran - directors Ali Asgari (a.o. Until Tomorrow) and Alireza Khatami (a.o. Los versos del olvido) show it in nine short stories around very ordinary men and women. They are separate stories, but have one theme in common: the many social, cultural and religious restrictions that make life difficult for people. With as much drama as humour, the directors show in these self-written 'terrestrial verses' that it takes determination and perseverance to navigate decently past all the obstacles thrown up by the authorities.
Among others, a schoolgirl is blamed for being taken to school by her boyfriend on a motorbike, a woman does not get back her dog taken away by the police, a man is harrased in a hospital because he wants to give his newborn son an unapproved name, and a woman has to deal with inappropriate behaviour during a job interview.