A Tale of Shemroon

A breath of fresh air for Iranian cinema: Emad Aleebrahim Dehkordi’s debut feature transforms from a portrait of Tehran’s young generation into an intense drama about two brothers who share an intimate bond.

The ways that Iman and his younger brother Payar deal with the sudden death of their mother could hardly be more different. While Payar pursues a boxing career and looks after their ailing father at home, the irascible Iman loses himself in the world of excess and drugs inhabited by his wealthy friends. ›A Tale of Shemroon‹ addresses a subject rarely seen in Iranian cinema: the young, nouveau-riche generation in northern Tehran who can afford themselves more freedom from the constraints of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The director Emad Aleebrahim Dehkordi cranks up the tension with great virtuosity and finesse. Little by little, a noose of addictions, intoxicants, family conflicts, and long-pent-up aggression tightens around Iman’s neck.

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