While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Baran is a dramatic love story written, directed, and produced by "Majid Majidi" in 2001. Like his previous smashing hit works at that time, like "Children of Heaven", "The Colour of Paradise", and "The Father", Baran keeps on moving the audience emotionally in a slow pace, covering the story in a very cultural dramatic manner. Baran's story is very close to human life scenarios that is beautifully visualized and written with a strong message for love and peace where people could actually relate to the strong portrayed characters to their real lives and feel every little emotion of the character throughout the movie.The story of Baran revolves around two very strong characters; 'Lateef', a seventeen years old Kurdish worker who works at a building site in Tehran; and 'Baran', an eight years old girl whose family is a poor illegal Afghani immigrant. 'Lateef' is a lazy, carefree and hot-headed guy who works as a caregiver of all the crew working at the site and manages the kitchen providing the workers tea, water, and food. The turning point comes when one of the old Afghani workers 'Memar' faces an accident and gets hospitalized. He begs the humble building contractor to give his responsibilities of work to his eight years old eldest son 'Rehmat' as he is the only one who could earn money to support his big family. 'Rehmat' fails to carry the heavy loads due to his little age and the contractor makes him swap the responsibilities with 'Lateef' who instantly gets jealous of him and tries his every effort to let him down from the post. One day, on his mission to tease 'Rehmat' in the kitchen, he finds out that he is actually a beautiful little girl disguised as a boy. Her beauty, personality and simplicity makes him fell for her eventually. Then, he tries his every effort to help her and make her feel his affection for her. Every coming day, 'Lateef' feels that he is getting more emotional, sensitive and a better human being by admiring her, her simplicity and personality and tries to be like the person she is. The conflict comes when the Iranian government issues an order to stop all Afghani immigrants to work in Iran and move back to their country and sends forces to arrest them. 'Baran' loses her work in the building site and faces many ups and downs by doing different harder jobs. 'Lateef' stalks her and feels her pain. He is in so much love that he wants to keep 'Baran' away from every pain and hurdle in her way and spends his money and everything that he had and makes her and her family to move back to their country.The ending scene of the movie is very beautifully and dramatically visualized. 'Baran' is sitting on a Tonga in a veil with her family with all their luggage to migrate back to their country Afghanistan and 'Lateef' is standing in front of her with a very peaceful look that he finally succeeded to vanish all her pains and grieves away from her. The Tonga starts moving and 'Baran' removes her veil from her face and looks at 'Lateef' and gives him a smile showing that she's happy and thankful and she has felt his affection for her and 'Lateef' smiles back that he got her message and goes back happily.The amazing camera work, beautiful background score and amazing story keeps the audience engaged till the end of the movie, both emotionally and visually. Every character shows a very strong personality with emotions for humanity and peace. Baran fulfills every aspect to be a blockbuster emotional drama movie by touching audience's heart. More importantly, Baran tells the audience an important message that the greatest thing in the world is just to love and be loved in return. I would definitely give this movie a 10/10 and would definitely recommend it to every movie buff out there.

Majid Majidi has made some amazing films, though sadly few in the West have probably seen them since he hails from a land not especially known for its film industry, Iran. In fact, finding DVDs of his and other Iranian films is pretty difficult. I don't think this is especially because of political tensions between Iran and the US, but more of a general ignorance in my country that there even IS a foreign film industry aside from perhaps the French and Japanese. It's a shame really, as the three Majidi films I've seen (CHILDREN OF HEAVEN, THE COLOR OF PARADISE and this film) are among the most visually stunning and beautifully made films I have seen. His films are almost like visual poetry and they concern ordinary people--not the famous or especially beautiful--and this is what endears his films to many people. While I was not blown away by the film like I was by THE COLOR OF PARADISE (which, I would place in the top 10 best international films I have ever seen), the look and delicate directorial touch make this a wonderful film to see.The film is set mostly on an Iranian construction site. Many of the workers are Afghans who have left their country due to the war. However, they don't have identity papers and can't legally work in Iran, so the foreman employs them "under the table" so to speak. But this isn't necessarily out of charity--it's just that he can pay them a fraction of an Iranian worker (much like many of the illegals in the US from Mexico). In fact, this foreman is an odd man--at times, he seems very stingy and cruel but at others you are surprised by his compassion. This didn't come as a surprise to me, as in other Majidi films I have noticed that the characters are often complex and hard to predict. The certainly are NOT formulaic or dull, but rich in goodness as well as character defects. In fact, the entire film later rests on this duality--but more of that in a bit.One day, one of the Afghan workers is badly injured on the job. And, since they work illegally, the man cannot work and his family will starve. However, a ruse is created in order to have his daughter employed by the construction site. She dresses as a man and is a "lumper"--a term used to describe an unskilled construction worker who does the work no one else wants to do. But, since she is a woman, lifting and doing this hard work is beyond her means. But, when the foreman feels sorry for her and switches her to an easier job, the man who had this easier job as a gofer is mad--so mad he decides to make life tough for this new "man" on the job! Oddly, however, after being so cruel and thoughtless, later the angry worker discovers that she is a female!! Now you'd think he'd tell the boss and get her fired...right?! But instead, compassion and goodness comes from within and he has a strong urge to help her in her plight. But, when soon after this ALL the Afghan workers are fired, what is this man to do? How can he help her when she and her family have seemingly disappeared?Overall, it's a very complex character study of a man who behaves inexplicably once he learns the woman's secret. Now I am NOT saying he reacts in a way that is impossible to believe...but it's just hard to imagine until you see that the man has hidden goodness and strength within him. Oddly, however, I just couldn't predict where this film would go and when the movie ended, I found myself a bit confused--not in a bad way, but I just wouldn't have imagined ending the film this way. It's a wonderful film--nearly earning a 9, but I am hesitant to give such high ratings. Plus, the other two films I mentioned that Majidi also made are clearly better films--mostly because they tug at your heart even more and feature some amazing performances by kids (something that is NOT easy to create). Well worth seeing.By the way, this film was entered by Iran for the Oscars but was not nominated. This lack of a nomination is a bit of a surprise--perhaps it was just a very strong year in that category.

In Iran, when the illegal Afghan worker Najaf (Gholam Ali Bakhshi) breaks his foot in an accident in a construction of a building, his fragile son Rahmat becomes his replacement. The master Memar (Mohammad Amir Naji) makes Rahmat responsible for feeding the worker, and brings the young Lattef (Hossein Abedini), who was responsible for this task, to the heavy work. Latted becomes jealous of Rahmat, and spends a cruel treatment to him. However, when Lateef finds that Rahmar is indeed a girl called Baran (Zahra Bahrami), he falls in love for her and spends all his savings and gives his best efforts to protect her family and her."Baran" is a simple, human, beautiful, touching, irresistible wonderful love story. Exposing the situation of the explored Afghans refugees in Iran, after the Soviet invasion, their civil war and the Taliban regime, this movie also gives a lesson of humanity, sympathy and generosity. The actors and actresses have very realistic performances, showing an excellent direction and the character Baran does not speak any word along the story, using only her facial expression to disclose her inner feelings. And the sacrifice of Lateef to please the family of "Baran" shows the essence of a pure and platonic love. The arid and cold landscape completes the scenario of this gem. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Baran"

when you sit down to watch a movie from someone who created "children of heaven" and colors of paradise...u expect world class cinema.to me this was not in any such league.for a man who wrote and directed children of heaven with sheer excellence ,i am surprised he directed a movie which fails to evoke me much. the cinematography without question,is excellent.the scenes from Iran are as beautiful as a poem.the imagery and symbolism of rain and the smile that symbolizes the awakening of his soul, despite his misery is beautiful.at several points i was struck by the beauty of the emotion that he has tried to capture.but is there a point? perhaps i am not a lover.i am romantic,but not romantic enough to understand the love that kept growing without any interaction or rationale.why was he so in love with her? we see that though this movie is slow it is not static,the characters are well portrayed and the plight of the workers is brought out as a background theme.what is central to the theme is how love makes a person outgrow the limitations of his heart and teaches him to open himself up.selflessness is an endearing note,but sometimes i feel that why you do something matters as much as what you do.there is no rationale here.eternal lovers will tell me that love knows no reason ,but i somehow refuse to believe that. what puts this movie apart from most others is that there is no stress on building stereotypes.memar is not how "memar's" are usually portrayed as .the workers though overworked show a sense of camaraderie that is endearing.and even their love is not as clichéd as it seems. i reiterate that i simply loved the camera work.the scene where the letter flows down the brook...where he looks at the curtain ,where he sits among the pigeons whom she had fed once are all well painted.. i would say that this film is certainly worth a watch but do not expect a Marji majidi level movie...because for those who fell in love with "children of heaven:" this is surely a let down.