On the surface, this is a simple tale of unrequited love.  Three elements make it fascinating: the venue, Iran, the cast of characters, Iranians and Afghan refugees and finally, the stark cultural differences of these two young people presented alongside compelling human similarities to young people in the United States.

            Latef, a young Kurdish man, is employed by Memar, a friend of his father and the manager of a construction project.  Memar also employs many illegal immigrant Afghan men, refugees from the civil war and communist takeover, circa 1979.  One of these Afghan employees, Najaf, falls from a second floor and is hospitalized.  His daughter, Baran, disguised as the boy, Rahmat, goes to work on the project to provide desperately needed income.  This sets the scene for a dramatic change in Latef's life.

            The cinematography is excellent and shows us in graphic detail, the city, the people, the countryside and, the primitive life style as well as the incredibly primitive construction techniques.  In this case, it's not the beauty of things that is captured, it's the authenticity, the documentary of a way of life that is in some ways very much like that of the American Indians 200 years ago.  Yet it exists next to a relatively modern city, with high-rise buildings, buses and cars.

            In the demeaning treatment of disadvantaged Afghan refugees we can see a reflection of our own treatment of illegal Mexican immigrants.  The migration reminds us of Grapes of Wrath.  The actions of Latef remind us of the inability of our American young adults to foresee or understand the consequences of their decisions. 

            Hossein Abedini playing the role of Latef performs most of the action and almost all of the close-up acting.  Apparently, this was his second film role.  Abedini had to express a range of emotions in the role and I thought his acting was very good.

            There are two things to ignore.  First, the Shakespearean construct of a girl pretending she's a boy is not only corny, but should have been obvious to the characters in the film.  It's patently absurd that we know immediately and no one else has a clue.  But, like Shakespeare, if you with go with the sham, it's a good story.  In sharp contrast, Marina Golbahari who plays Osama in the tragic Afghan film with the same title, absolutely convinces us and men in the story that she is a boy.

            Second, not even an American Indian 200 years ago would have done such a lousy job of constructing a building.  The project is a joke.  We know it.  The owners and inspectors know it.  But, again, it's a good story, so we go with it.  After all, it's only a backdrop for the emotional drama in process.

            Reviewed June 27, 2005                            Copyright 2005 Charles T. Markee

            MPAA: Rated PG for language and brief violence.