Others have already outlined the plot, criticized the shouted dialog, etc. All valid points. But for me the importance of the movie was that it was the very first film I'd seen written, directed and acted by Kurds, in Kurdistan. We hear a great deal about these people in the abstract. Here they are living their lives and culture. In fact, the DVD I saw included an interview with the director in which he said that he intentionally showed as many aspects of Kurdish life as possible, to spread knowledge of things Kurdish.
The culture is fascinating, old-fashioned and tribal and yet with an amazing capacity to endure and survive adversity. There are also hints that the culture may be more adaptable to change than you might think. One scene stands out --- one of the brothers is in search of yet another wife (his eighth) in order to add a son to his personal tribe of 11 daughters. A young woman he is trying to interest points out that he could adopt one or two of the orphans in her charge. He is initially nonplussed, then delighted. He gains two sons, without the need of another wife. Progress, of a sort at least! I also gained some insight into the situation of the Kurds in the border regions of four countries. At the end of the movie, the old man crosses the border from Iraq back into Iran. It consists of some well-trampled barbed wire half-buried in the snow. It means nothing to him.
See this movie, to begin to understand, a little, what it must be like to be one of these forgotten people.
The culture is fascinating, old-fashioned and tribal and yet with an amazing capacity to endure and survive adversity. There are also hints that the culture may be more adaptable to change than you might think. One scene stands out --- one of the brothers is in search of yet another wife (his eighth) in order to add a son to his personal tribe of 11 daughters. A young woman he is trying to interest points out that he could adopt one or two of the orphans in her charge. He is initially nonplussed, then delighted. He gains two sons, without the need of another wife. Progress, of a sort at least! I also gained some insight into the situation of the Kurds in the border regions of four countries. At the end of the movie, the old man crosses the border from Iraq back into Iran. It consists of some well-trampled barbed wire half-buried in the snow. It means nothing to him.
See this movie, to begin to understand, a little, what it must be like to be one of these forgotten people.