Mourning (Soog)

Year: 2011
Country: IRAN
Run Time: 85 minutes

When a couple's heated quarrel results in them madly driving away in the middle of the night, they abandon their son, leaving him with his aunt and uncle. It isn't until the morning that the aunt and uncle learn of the death of the young boy's parents after a tragic car accident. And so begins the story of MOURNING, the all-day road trip the aunt and uncle must take with their nephew, Arshia, in order to face this sudden, horrifying disaster. The dialogue-heavy, groundbreaking film centers around the poignant conversation of how to break the news to Arshia that he may be living with his aunt and uncle forever, both of whom are profoundly deaf. Through sign language, the two debate in the front seat both Arshia's unknown future and their complicated, childless past. Little do they know, Arshia reads their lips from the back, suffering alone in his own silence. MOURNING is a beautiful examination of the tense relationships among these three characters and an exploration of the power of grief. (In Persian with subtitles) – M.M.

• Tweet