Wonderfully offbeat film!

How sad is this?

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

This is a thoughtful, beautifully made film about very poor people, a film about the growth of spirituality within a young man who falls in love without saying a word to the beloved; it is a magical film made mainly on a second-rate construction site, a fascinating look into folks to whom the cheap thrills of most American films would be completely irrelevant. Do we need to care about this people? Can we even identify with them?Box office winners in America are generally about childhood superheros dressed up in expensive duds or weave dark make-believe tales about vampires or medieval revenge. They are aimed primarily at 14 year old boys, but many adults flock to them for entertainment. And they are entertaining, just as most fast food is filling, but often not very nutritious. The fact that Baran couldn't even crack 1/90th of the box office take of either of those films says something infinitely sad about audiences not willing to stretch their consciousness, experience an alternate reality, or understand some of the people our soldiers in the Middle East might be meeting on a daily basis. Baran is an open window into another culture and leaves behind something other than a ticket torn in half.

A young man, Lateef, may be 18 years old falls in love with a fellow construction site worker Baran. Circumstances are victimizing, conditions are odd. There's no way Lateef can win her hand but its a complete triumph of love.What a brilliant film. I am not into love stories but this film is definitely a love story par excellence. Plot is so brilliant and is executed with such finesse. The passion in the heart of the protagonist is just unbelievable and is a treat to watch. Majidi is such a fantastic director. All the obstacles and difficulties Lateef faces are social and political problems. Story looks like a love story but Majidi actually talks about women problems, refugees, illegal workers, immigration problems and of course conflict of right and wrong defined in a society. There are so many things Lateef does for Baran which I ended up thinking 'not possible' but the real question is 'isnt love selfless?'. 'Baran' is a film which haunts a thinking brain. A film which doesn't answer questions but ask questions. The construction site where Lateef works is in Northern Tehran. Mehar employs Afghanis to work with Turks and Iranians (thanks Howard Schumann ). There are actually so many things going on in this film.Hossein Abedini as Lateef is fantastic. He is Lateef and nobody else can be Lateef. Zahra Bahrami doesn't have dialogs but she is very good. Mohammad Amir Naji is a fantastic actor. If he is on the screen then you just look at him and rest is 'backdrop'. One of the few complete actors in my dictionary of actors. My favorite scene is when Lateef comes to know about the fact that Baran is a girl and so hear wears some trendy clothes and come to brick laying. Memar looks at him and say "why are you dressed like a pop star?". I laughed so much. I use this phrase very often. Two thumbs up. I think the whole Indian film industry with 200 films on love is a dwarf in front of this divine story about love and selflessness. A must watch. 10/10.

Another thought-provoking, unique, deep, understandable, warm, loving and touching tale comes from Iran, by the hand of Majid Majidi, the one who brought "The Children of Heaven" to our eyes. As impeccable and human as that one, comes "Baran". What an amazing film. You don't see these type of characters every day. They barely speak in most of the occasions, but they show emotions.The whole piece beautifully and well done, that it really touches deep. These situations and these people make the film so watchable. Lateef is a normal person, he spends his everyday life as anyone else, working, earning the money for his life (although he hasn't received that money yet, but he will). Soltan works there, also, although he shouldn't, as many other workers. Soltan brings a boy one day, and after some events, this boy steals (it's a way to put it) Lateef's job. He's angry, we get it. But he sees, some time after, a girl behind a curtain (in a beautiful scene, with a patient camera watching carefully both angles). A girl he used to know as a boy, and he is shocked. He has fallen in love.After this, nothing matters, only this girl (Baran, we hear from her father; and if you don't listen carefully, you'll miss it, because it's the only time the word is said). Then we join Lateef in his journey, for love. He's desperate. He sees Baran suffering, and ends lying to his boss, to get some money for her. To help her.One of the most incredible things in the story, is the development of this boy's personality. He wants to help, but at the same time, doesn't want the people he's helping to know it. He wastes his time in the invention of stupid excuses, just to hide himself. Hiding himself from who? From this girl, the reason of his changes and efforts? Why? He wants to be with her.The last scenes come as magical and "one of a kind" as the ones in "The Children of Heaven". Lateef sits and contemplates a curtain, similar to the image seen the fist time he discovers Baran. Now he is making decisions, but only in his mind, because it is late already. The next morning, Baran is leaving, I guess it's not important where. He helps her to pick some things she has dropped. She sees him, and completely knows the things he has been doing for her. Then she just smiles, and gets in the truck. She leaves, he watches.Maybe he'll regret it.

I see this film after many years that I living out of Iran ,I think that maybe it is humdrum for someone but it have a really romance story . not only me but many of the guy's that I know them ,see this film for more than one time.also I must say about actors and back ground of this , I think that it have a poor camera moving ,and also not have a wide back ground , but actors ,specially first boy and Afghans girl have a nice play in this film ,it has a simple story but have a deep looking to human life (real life) so I hope that this film director and actors make more film like this , I guess that it's have a many customer like us out of Iran .