Because of labor unrest, three ordinary workers in Iran’s alpine region face hardships in providing for their families and end up trying to sell stolen high-voltage power lines. Worse, during the burglary they accidentally kill someone and wind up fugitives. Atta attempts to flee over the rugged snow-covered mountains but his little girl becomes a heavy burden to him. After getting caught by the villagers and beaten to within an inch of his life, Shokri carries on. Making his feature film debut, director Amir Hossein Saghafi has a unique background as Iran’s boxing champion. By using the rugged scenery, the sound of harsh breathing, and dialogue that is close to being an outcry, Saghafi effectively portrays a gruesome and critical situation, in which one’s own flesh and blood might be cornered into death. Individuals wither away as they desperately struggle simply to live, while an unchanging social structure continues to produce victims. (PARK Sungho)