Tehran: City of Love

Having impressed with his debut film, Falling Leaves (2013), London Film School graduate Ali Jaberansari reveals the influence of mentor Abbas Kiarostami in this deceptive deadpan drama. Precisely paced and offering shrewd insights into the tension between tradition and progress in modern-day Iran, the action flits between three characters: ex-bodybuilding champion Hessam (Amir Hessam Bakhtiari), beauty parlour receptionist Mina (Forough Ghajabagli), and funeral singer Vahid (Mehdi Saki). Each has a secret to hide, as Hessam is gay and struggling to conceal his attraction to his protégé, plump Mina prank calls her male clients in the guise of sexy Sara, and Vahid has told his provincial parents that he is loving his job and happily engaged. As events conspire to compel the impeccably played trio to face up to reality, Jaberansari and co-scenarist Maryam Najafi question assumptions about physical beauty, while also examining the way in which ordinary people keep kicking against the restrictions imposed by an Islamic state.