Mehrdad Bakhshi

Dreamless Sleep

Amir, a young Iranian, signs on with a fisherman on the rugged Caspian Sea coast in order to earn the money he needs to marry his sweetheart, Narges. But in so doing, he becomes entangled in the criminal machinations of caviar poaching. Piece by piece, a complex hierarchy is revealed in a parallel realm that becomes ever more constricting and oppressive, endangering Amir’s relationship with Narges as well.

When Rana's delight, her hen, Kakoli, goes missing, causing her to enter into the state of shock, and joy consequently leaving her completely, her brother and his friend embark on a quest to find the animal, and possibly save her from the dangerous band of local poachers, who coincidently turn out to be followed for arrest by the very small team of local rangers, consisting of Rana's father, among others.

A young divorcee living with her son in a small northern city of Iran, wants to marry the man she has fallen in love with. According to the current rules, the father has the custody of children; however, her ex-husband has granted her that right on the condition that she doesn’t remarry. Struggling to keep both of her beloved ones, she has to think about the third option: Temporary Marriage (Sighe). However, this will get her into a predicament, as despite its being legal, Sighe is not well-received by the society at all. Would temporary marriage be a good solution for her?

Since her husband's suicide, Saman cannot believe and mentally accept what she sees. She acts as if her husband is still alive. How long will this unnatural state of affairs continue? How does a person who suddenly loses a loved one cope with this harsh reality?