Movingly sensitive portrayal of the momentary contacts of those who cannot, or may not, commit themselves to a relationship, the emotionally dispossessed who yearn for some kind of compassion and closeness. Realistically filmed on the streets of Teheran, it is a ponderous, deliberate film, that requires sensitivity and contemplation from the viewer.
In some ways the film is fragmentary, and it is difficult to understand exactly what the circumstances of the protagonists are, there is a lot that is not shown, only vaguely alluded to, but that kind of enigmatic mystery is integral to such fleeting and fragile encounters, and it lends further authenticity to a film that rings absolutely true.
Rather than trying to work out exactly how things fit together, I just observed the gracefully accomplished photography, the symbols of time passing and the barriers between people, and let myself sense the slightly melancholy atmosphere the film evokes, the foreshadowing of life to be plodded or ground away to the sound of an empty bus labouring along its route.
