Downpour

Bahram Beyzai's 1972 Iranian film follows Hekmati, a schoolteacher posted to a new neighbourhood. A man raised among books, he cannot fit into the life around him, and his interest in the sister of one of his pupils is talked about at once. The film begins like a love story and turns into social pressure. The neighbourhood watches Hekmati, comments on him and makes his decision for him; the narrative sets out how this works without making anyone a villain. It is Beyzai's first feature and among the important works of pre-revolutionary Iranian cinema. The negative was lost; years later the film was restored from the single print the director still held and returned to circulation. Who it's for: those who like the history of Iranian cinema and social comedy. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a technically flawless image; the marks of the source print remain visible.