Twenty

Colour, 35 mm
Iran, 2009, 88 min
IP – International premiere
Section: Official Selection - Competition

Synopsis

Twenty. That’s how many days remain before Mr. Soleimani closes his reception hall. The hall hosts mainly mourning receptions (and occasionally a wedding), and the sorrow they invariably bring has drained the owner so much that his psychologist has recommended closing down his business immediately. His employees, however, view his visits to a real estate broker with great suspicion, and the announcement of the hall’s sale and subsequent demolition completely crushes them. They are five ordinary people for whom the reception hall is more than a job. The disabled cook, whose wife helps out in the kitchen for no pay, even sleeps in the hall’s basement. For a young widow with a little girl, her job at the hall is the only refuge in a world run by men. And both waiters carefully hide from their boss that they have nowhere to go. The closing of the hall is a threat which each of them, in his or her own way, tries to thwart.... This subtle, psychological drama, masterfully walking the line between comedy and tragedy, creates a world of caring characters eloquently imprinted by the world of modern Iran.

About the director

Abdolreza Kahani (b. 1973, Neishabour, Iran) was involved in theater from the age of 13, and he began his film career two years later. After shooting his first short film, The Smile (1988), he earned a bachelor’s degree in acting from Teheran’s Azad University, then a master’s in direction from Teheran University. In 2002 he shot his first feature-length documentary, Empty Hands, followed a year later by the video feature Dance with the Moon. His feature debut Adam, a mystical story about a village visited by death after a long absence, premiered in 2007. His second, black-and-white feature, Over There (Aan Ja, 2008), treats marital relations. It was awarded the main prize Golden Alexander at the Thessaloniki festival.