Everyone in a family is busily preparing for a wedding and the backyard is full of activity. Then suddenly, grandfather dies. His last wish as the Mullah (a Muslim scholar) is for his family to leave on a trip to bury his body in a cemetery near the mosque. In a strange city, young Kazem and his sister-in-law (who were also lovers in the past) enter into a new relationship. This notable debut feature throws a critical perspective on Iranian society through the medium of life’s biggest celebrations, a wedding and a funeral. The observant lenses of the camera continually float over different traditions of Iran through the first half of the film. However, once the film moves outside the traditional setting ? home ? the critical perspective takes over. The secretive allusions to the past affair also become clear in the latter half of the movie. The Iranian director makes his point in a very careful, but controlled manner. The seemingly careless perusal over the picture at the beginning of the movie returns to decorate the last shot, as evidence of the director’s indirect but firm will. (RHEE, Soue-won)