The Runner

Amir Naderi's 1984 Iranian film follows a boy living in the port of Abadan. Amiro has no family; he stays in an abandoned ship beached on the shore and lives by shining shoes, selling water and collecting bottles. The narrative does not run straight; his daily struggle, his clashes with older boys and his effort to learn to read are given in repeating scenes. His looking at aeroplanes, ships and everything that is leaving is the central motif, a child imagining an exit from a place he has to stay in. The footrace at the end is set up as a direct metaphor and is among the most remembered scenes in Iranian cinema. It is counted among the works that led to international recognition of post-revolutionary Iranian film. Who it's for: viewers who like poetic cinema with little dialogue. Who it's not for: anyone expecting narrative structure; the film is built on repetition and rhythm.