ThestoryopensinBalochistan,inasmall,scarcely‘wired’villageborderingIranandAfghanistan.Ahmadisanidealisticteacherinexile,educatingthelocalcommunity;hispartnerHaseeba,however,hasspenttimeinjailinTehranfortheverysameoffenceagainsttheState.Thedisaccordbetweenthemisnotonlysocialbutalsopersonal.Ahmad’sdestinycollideswiththatofafamilyfleeingtheTaliban;soontheintricatedivisionsofageandgenderwithinthatgroupwilltriggerotherproblemsandentanglements–includinga’loversontherun’intriguethatfleetinglyrecallsMurnau’sclassicTabu(1931).Acrossallthearresting,shiftingperipeteiaofitsplot,AbbasAmini’sfilmdeftlydramatisesthecomplicatedquestionofcommitment:dowecommitourselvestoapoliticalcause,asetofreligiousbeliefs,oraperson?Andhowdowenegotiatethecommitmentsofothers,eventhoseclosesttous,whentheyarebasedonaverydifferentvaluesystem?Withitssparsemusicscore,denselynaturalisticactingandunostentatiouscamerawork,EndlessBordersisalmostaminimalisticsuspensethriller(withHitchco
2024-04-21
