Iranian filmmaker Abolfazl Jalili's intriguing drama focuses on Kaim (Kaim Alizedah), a 14-year-old Afghan boy living at the Delbaran crossing near the Afghanistan-Iran border. Kaim, who is forced to fend for himself because his mother is dead and his father is in the military, is able to secure work at a coffee shop that serves as a comparatively safe spot on the dangerous road connecting the two volatile countries. The traffic here involves much more than simple vehicular movement: gun runners and opium smugglers are among the clientele who pause en route at the coffee shop while traveling from one violent encounter to another. Eventually, Kaim discovers that the coffee shop's owners—married couple Khan and Khale—have another lucrative business: smuggling Afghans into Iran. Not surprisingly, this secondary business creates a myriad of problems, and Kaim joins his employers in trying to enable their operations to continue despite heavy police pressure to shut them down. Although Delbaran, like many other Iranian dramas, moves at a rather deliberate pace, this award-winning international favorite is ultimately a very insightful and occasionally even funny film. Highly recommended. (P. Hall)
Delbaran
Facets, 96 min., in Farsi w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $29.95 Volume 24, Issue 3
Delbaran
Star Ratings
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