Sadaf Asgari

The only thing that can save a young Iranian woman from the death penalty for the accidental killing of her husband is her child appearing on live TV.

Amir and Narges fall in love, but Narges' father demands a considerable dowry that Amir cannot afford. Desperate to make money, Amir finds a low-paying job at a fishery. Amir catches a break when he discovers an illegal poaching operation taking place at night, and secures a position with the poachers to make more money. Things get out of hand when the police show up unexpectedly.

Unfolding in nine incisive vignettes, this elegantly minimalist, powerfully subversive portrait of the everyday absurdity of life under authoritarianism follows an array of Iranians as they navigate the cultural, religious, and institutional constraints imposed on them by various social authorities, from schoolteachers to bureaucrats. These stirring snapshots—by turns humorous, affecting, Kafkaesque, and tragic—capture the spirit and determination of ordinary people in the face of adversity, offering a provocative, nuanced perspective on a complex society.

Two young Afghans in love and searching for a better life make a decision that will challenge the fabric of their lives, faith and sense of self.

A school teacher from Tehran is preparing to attend a wedding in northern Iran. When her husband suddenly forbids her to go, she makes a choice that will place her on a painful path zig to atonement.