Frontier Blues (12A)

In the northern frontier of Iran, director Babak Jalali mines absurdist humour and quiet pathos from the immutable routines of a group of men.

Hassan is a Persian with Coke-bottle glasses whose only pal is his ever-present donkey. His uncle runs a clothing store whose items never seem to fit his shoppers. A Turkmen minstrel pines for the wife he lost 30 years ago.

Together, these characters go through the motions of living while preoccupied with escape. Against visually serene compositions and a plaintive score, Jalili teases out the intense longing hidden behind his characters’ stoic expressions, crafting a humane and drolly charming first feature that leaves an indelible impression.

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