Delbaran (2001)

Synopsis: Iranian writer-director Abolfazl Jalili tells this sweet but sad tale about a 14-year-old Afghan refugee, Kaim (Kaim Alizadeh), working illegally in Iran. He works in a tiny café, the Delbaran,... Iranian writer-director Abolfazl Jalili tells this sweet but sad tale about a 14-year-old Afghan refugee, Kaim (Kaim Alizadeh), working illegally in Iran. He works in a tiny café, the Delbaran, near the Afghan border. The violence of war is always nearby, symbolized by gunshots and explosions heard in the distance. Khan (Rahmatollah Ebrahimi) and his wife, Khale, run the café, and watch after Kaim, an industrious boy who does odd jobs. They send him off to hide whenever the immigration officer, Mahadavi (Ahmed Mahadavi), comes by. Because business at the café is slow, Khan begins helping to smuggle Afghan workers into the country, which draws more attention from the authorities. When Mahadavi is carjacked on the road, Kaim comes to his aid, and is threatened with deportation. The story in DELBARAN is told elliptically, with little dialogue, mostly through stark and beautifully composed images. There's a great deal of mordant humor in the film, typified by frequent scenes of vehicles breaking down and needing to be pushed down the desert road. Jalili has said that the main character was originally going to be an Iranian, but when he decided to cast an Afghani, Alizadeh, the emphasis of his story shifted. This film was included in the 31st New Directors/New Films 2002 series presented by The Film Society of Lincoln Center and The Department of Film and Media of The Museum of Modern Art in New York City. [More]

Starring: Kaim Alizadeh, Rahmatollah Ebrahimi, Ahmed Mahdavi, Hossein Hashemian

Starring: Kaim Alizadeh, Rahmatollah Ebrahimi, Ahmed Mahdavi, Hossein Hashemian

Director: Abolfazl Jalili

Director: Abolfazl Jalili
Screenwriter: Abolfazl Jalili
Producer: Abolfazl Jalili, Shozo Ichiyama, Masayuki Mori

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