A young woman fleeing Iran via Turkey will do whatever it takes to reach the West. One evening she meets a young Turkish-Iranian man outside a club in Istanbul and offers to get him into the club for free. A a relationship develops between them and she convinces him to leave Turkey with her. They initially approach a relative of the young man, who owns a carpet shop, to help them escape but between drugs and fiery temperaments things seriously misfire. They then try to to hustle for the money they need to pay for fake passports and visas but in the carpet bazaar of Istanbul they are out of their depth.
Acting
Kosari's volatile, wounded performance anchors every scene.
Cinematography
Istanbul's neon alleys become a character — beautiful and trapping.
Direction
Dormishian refuses easy redemption, keeps tension unbearably taut.
Director
Reza Dormishian
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot guerrilla-style in actual Istanbul locations without permits, adding documentary-level authenticity to the chase scenes.
Baran Kosari is daughter of legendary Iranian actor-director Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, continuing a family tradition of unflinching social realism.
IR
