Untimely
IRN 2019Director: Pouya Eshtehardi
Cast: Iman Afshar, Shayan Afshar, Mahsa Narouyi, Awa Azarpira
78 Min. | OmeU
European Premiere
Independent
High upon a cliff, on a watchtower overlooking the Gulf of Oman, Hamin, a young Iranian soldier, waits to be relieved. He desperately wants to attend his sister Mahin‘s wedding, but when a petty officer denies his request one time tomany, he accidentally kills him. Now there is no way out. After their mother‘s suicide, their father – a smuggler – disappeared into Pakistan. Hamin and Mahin had to face life on their own, with their traumatic childhood drawing aharsh blueprint for them that is just as inevitable as the backward traditions of their remote border area. With incredible poetry, director Pouya Eshtehardi paints an unusual picture of rural Iran that is far from the big city bustle that usually dominates films from that region. The sparse landscape and cragged mountain ranges are like innerlandscapes of the soul that the characters will lose themselves in. A visually powerful, epic masterpiece about the frailty of a young life.
Der in Teheran geborene Pouya Eshtehardi ist nicht nur Filmemacher, sondern auch Musiker und Autor. Nachdem er einen vierjährigen Filmkurs in Teheran absolviert hatte, zog er nach Malaysia, wo er an der Universität Limkokwing digitalen Film und Fernsehen studierte. Nachdem er bei Kurz- und Dokumentarfilmen Regie geführt hatte, ist »Untimely« sein erster Spielfilm, den er schrieb und bei dem er auch die Regie führte.