Pervez Parastui, the lead actor of this film, is perhaps best known and best loved for his performance in the film 'Marmulak' (The Lizard), an allegorical tale of a convict-turned-cleric who escapes to a small Iranian village, and holds its residents in thrall. In that film, the allegory is obvious (which accounts for its troubles with the censors). In 'Twenty', the allegory is so subtle that while watching it I did not quite get it, but when alerted to this fact by a fantastic review by Kara Abdolmaleki in Tehran Review (link via 'critics' review' on the IMDb page for this film), all the elements in the film fell in to place beautifully.
In cycles of recession all over the world, one hears of the impact on human lives of unemployment. Here, it is not so much larger economic cycles but an individual-in-authority's decision to shut shop that affects all his employees, who live on the brink of survival in any case. Despite their individual and collective hardships, unique in each case, and sensitively portrayed by the actors, they still have the time and energy to fall in love, to show affection to a child, to match-make, to go for film auditions and so on. Parts of the film are laugh-out-loud funny (I particularly remember one scene where an activity of dusting a perfectionist's table is rendered sublime comedy by both the actors in the scene).
The soundtrack is exquisite -- the film begins and ends with haunting melodies on a classical persian 'tar', there are funeral dirges in some scenes setting the tone for the larger scenario, and there are -- alternatively uplifting and melancholy -- tunes on the accordion that are used to good effect.
Despite not knowing anything about the film in advance, I was lucky enough to get a chance to see it at a film festival. I recommend you beg, borrow, or steal a DVD NOW!
