Iran, 101 minutes
Dir: Asghar Farhadi
For a video preview of this film and other Cinemondo titles, click here.
How much is a woman’s life worth in comparison to a man’s in Iran — and who pays the difference? Director-writer Asghar Farhadi melds an examination of Iran’s ancient capital punishment laws with a tender look at retribution, compassion and love.
Faced with the death penalty for killing his girlfriend at age 16, Akbar is moved to an adult prison at 18 to await execution. The young man’s life can be spared, but only if the victim’s family requests clemency. Akbar’s friend and former prison mate A’la is determined to save him. Aided by Akbar’s sister, Firoozheh, A’la must persuade Rahmati, the angry, elderly father of the murdered girl to waive Akbar’s punishment. But, Rahmati is dealing with the urgent needs of his second wife and her crippled daughter, and A’la must come up with money to change Rahmati’s mind.
When A’la begins to fall in love with Firoozheh, he must ultimately make a harrowing choice between loyalty to a friend and desire. Beautiful City is a piercing tale of vengeance, labyrinthine judicial procedure and the concept of blood money.
“Impossible love and the vagaries of Islam make for one splendid, emotional movie. Moving, relevant and artistically right.” — John Anderson, Newsday
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To learn more about this film, visit Sheherazed Media International.
Following the broadcast of Beautiful City, Link TV will air a short film:
Silent Companion (Iran 2004, 15 minutes)
Directed by Elham Hossein Zadeh
Undeterred by the looming U.S.-Iraq war and despite lurking dangers, a solitary boatman steers his way through the maze of reedy marshes along the border of Iran, intent on his mission to bring his fiancé a wedding dress. This quiet drama is a tribute to human resilience in the face of historical events.
