"Baran (Rain)" opens with a quick, scrolling explanation of the plight of Afghan refugees who have been uprooted from their home country.
That's as close as this Iranian import ever gets to being a filmed history lesson, though there are a whole host of things this simple, bittersweet drama can teach U.S. audiences — and the Hollywood filmmaking community.
For example, "Baran" features no big stars, no big special effects and no hit songs on its soundtrack. Yet the film still captivates and shows how a skillful filmmaker can impart a message without bludgeoning the audience over the head.
Also, its thematic material — which concerns the treatment of a group of illegal immigrant workers — is especially topical, considering some of the difficulties being experienced in this country. And that's not even addressing how innocently romantic the movie is — despite the fact that its main character, Lateef (Hossein Abedini), is a self-centered and not terribly romantic person.
In fact, the Iranian teen is a lazy, quick-to-temper worker on a construction site, where he's pretty much got it made. As caretaker to the illegal and cheap Afghan labor helping build the structure, all he really has to do is provide tea and food for his co-workers.
But his "free ride" of sorts is coming to an end. A new Afghan worker, Rahmat (Zahra Bahrami), has been unable to complete the assigned physical duties. As a result, the foreman makes Lateef and Rahmat switch job responsibilities.
Furious at this development, the resentful teen resolves to make the newcomer's existence as miserable as possible — at least until he learns something that changes his attitudes toward Rahmat.
Not to give too much away, but the ensuing plot twist is sort of "The Crying Game" in reverse and ties into the film's rather enigmatic title.
The dicey material — which also involves the treatment of women in Middle Eastern countries — is deftly handled by writer/director Majid Majidi (1999's "The Color of Paradise"), who eschews the pseudo-documentary, "neo-realist" style favored by many of his Iranian contemporaries. Instead, he favors simple, non-flashy camera work (though cinematographer Mohammad Davudi still captures several beautiful, haunting images).
And for a cast that's made up of largely non-professional actors, the performances are pretty solid. While some of the scenes test Abedini's range, his character transformation is believable, and Bahrami's facial expressions say more than dialogue ever could.
"Baran (Rain)" is rated PG for a handful of profanities and brief violence (a couple of workplace scuffles). Running time: 96 minutes.
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com