My Brother Khosrow

Ehsan Biglari's 2017 Iranian film follows two brothers forced to live together. When the sister who cared for Khosrow, who has bipolar disorder, goes abroad, he moves into the house of his brother Nasser. The film shows the burden of care from both sides. Khosrow's behaviour strains the household, while Nasser takes steadily harder decisions to protect his own order, and the narrative does not vindicate them. Shahab Hosseini plays Khosrow. Mental illness is neither romanticised nor presented as a threat; the narrative builds its real question around how much a family can carry. The setting is almost entirely one apartment. Who it's for: those who follow Iranian family drama and narratives about mental health. Who it's not for: viewers expecting resolution; the film relieves no one at its close.