A Cube of Sugar

Reza Mirkarimi's 2011 Iranian film covers the two days before a long-awaited wedding. Pasandide's house fills with relatives; food is prepared, rooms are opened and the house grows crowded again after years. A death occurs before the ceremony begins and the same house becomes a house of mourning. The narrative gives that turn not as a separate section but as a movement continuing in the same space; the same rooms, the same vessels and the same people are put to another use. Mirkarimi keeps the camera moving through the house, following the crowd one by one. Reza Kianian and Negar Javaherian are in the cast. The dialogue overlaps and there is no dramatic emphasis. Who it's for: those who like Iranian family drama and narratives set in a single place. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a directed plot; the film consists almost entirely of the details of preparation and ceremony.