Berlin

Foziye’s husband, an employee in the regional oil company, has vanished into thin air. Although her questions remain unanswered about his whereabouts, her faith prevails that he is still alive. During her visit at the local pension centre, she still replies “married” when her marital status is requested. Her life has metamorphosed into an arduous journey, considering her financial hardship and lack of work. Her mother incriminates her inertia, whilst her daughter incessantly howls about the intricacies of life in Iran and her upcoming exodus to Germany, where she suspects her dad has relocated.

Nevertheless, the other family members are unaware that something is tormenting Foziye at a more profound level. Her stomach aches are gradually aggravating. The root cause of the pain, supernatural and obscure; crude oil is relentlessly pouring out of her body, soiling her vestments and the bed linen. Susan Iravanian impeccably reveals the enigma to the spectator through a down shot, accompanied by a classical music score, generating thus the antithetical emotions of disorientation and harmony.

Inasmuch as Foziye tries to bury her secret, consuming her days washing the bedlinen, it is not long before her mother discovers the stains. When the doctor announces that the discharge is not blood and that Foziye is perfectly healthy, the family acknowledges the legitimacy of her outcries. The plot thickens as we enter part two of the story; the displacement of the family in view of Foziye’s condition.

As they relocate to unknown territory, the paranoia intensifies; not only hers, but also Saeed’s, the poverty-stricken family servant. Her bodily malfunction is another man’s epiphany, who identifies a feasible profitability. Disbelief around the community, late-night crashes with forest animals, as well as the monotony of their isolated life, exacerbate the lunacy. Their lives whirl around the malady and the vision of an exodus is gradually drifting away. 

Although the plot may cause disorientation at times, the overall result is admirable and demonstrates Iravanian’s stimulating fantasy and talent. Watch this when you’re feeling mystical.