Gomgashtei dar Aragh (2002)

English title: Marooned in Iraq.
Synopsis: In the aftermath of the Iran-Iraq conflict, an old Kurdish musician living in Iran decides to go to Iraq in search of his ex-wife who appears to be requesting his help. He summons his two sons to accompany him in that journey.
Appraisal: Amateurish filmmaking which still may interest some for providing a glimpse into a not so well known culture and also for the beautiful scenery. The plot is simple in its general terms yet complicated in some of its details (the old man had been abandoned by his wife when singing became forbidden to women in Iran; his sons know the truth about his divorce, but, in an attempt to convince them to participate in the quest for her, he tells them that the divorce was a lie to preserve the honor of the family and that, in fact, she is still his wife) and incomprehensible in others - a matchmaker was being harassed by a thug for having given a woman whom he coveted to another man; said matchmaker is buried up to his neck in the ground by the musicians, apparently because he was trying to prevent the wedding (is that really it? why? the subtitles mention that the father didn't give his permission; if that is so it could only be the groom's). No one that I have read seems to have gotten this, yet no one seems to care either. There is a conspicuous double standard when it comes to films made by ethnic minorities or obscure countries; they are praised in spite of their blatant shortcomings, in a sort of tacit affirmative action destined to encourage these poor communities to participate in the global film market. It would be better if critics were more honest about it. Or, what do I know, maybe they really liked it.
Rating: 30