This is one of those movies that stressed me out from the get-go. It starts out with the camera inside a jewelry store as a man robs it. The man's heart is not in it. He appears desolate, and shoots himself before finishing the robbery.
And then we go back in time to the previous week and learn what drove him to the jewelry store. I had the same stomachache during this film that I get when I watch Italian neorealism films, like The Bicycle Thief. I find it hard to watch someone disintegrate, but it can make for a good movie. And this movie is very good. The protagonist is Hussein, a pizza delivery guy. He is not young, and there is some trauma in his background that has made him ill, and he's heavy because he takes cortisone. He is very depressed and very aware that his monetary, career, personal situation is not good. He wants to marry his fiance, but is prevented by money worries. He hates the way others look down on him, and is frequently questioning if others are making fun of him. They're not; he's far more aware of his inadequacies than the people around him are.
And then one day he breaks. It's very sad.
This film is from Iran, which has a great film industry. One of the reasons I love foreign film so much is that I learn about other cultures - and it's painless. For example, there is a scene in this film where Hussein is detained outside a house (he was trying to deliver a pizza) because there are cops stationed there waiting for people to leave a party so they can arrest them. I believe the problem with the party is twofold: there were men and women there, plus there was dancing. I love film. What a great way to visit another country.
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