During breaktime, Dara and Nader have a fierce argument about a torn exercise book that the former has given back to the latter. There are two possible outcomes, which the film shows one after the other. One is that Dara wants to get his own back, and the two boys start a violent fight; the other is that they work together to mend the exercise book with a little glue.
Direction
Kiarostami's invisible hand guiding non-actors to naturalism
Writing
The structural gimmick that somehow never feels gimmicky
Editing
The hard cut that splits reality—no warning, no mercy
Director
Abbas Kiarostami
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Made during Iran's post-revolutionary cultural thaw, this was Kiarostami's bridge between educational films for kids and the philosophical cinema that would define his career.
The 'two solutions' structure directly influenced later filmmakers—most notably Krzysztof Kieślowski's 'Blind Chance,' though Kiarostami arrived first and with far less budget.
IR
