Kaveh Mousavi’s Top 10 Iranian Films

9. The Runner (1985) – Amir Naderi

One of the most annoying genres of Iranian cinema which usually produces crap – and a crap that international festivals gladly turn into milkshake and joyously drink – focuses on the lives of poor primitive people in villages with heavy local accents played by non-actors.  Its protagonists are usually children, and at the end we must learn that God is beautiful or that technology is killing our souls or some such garbage. Usually these films are made by men from cities who don’t really understand village life and end up looking faker than a pornstar’s prosthetic boobs.

Amir Naderi himself was from the south of Iran, and therefore although The Runner checks many of the boxes of this crap genre (primitive poor life, non-actors, etc.), it’s still a great film. The story revolves around a boy called Amirou who spends his days collecting and selling trash, while dreaming of travelling to the other side of the Persian Gulf. He begins to learn how to read and write, and he takes part in a running competition to earn money.

The Runner takes a hard look at poverty without fetishizing it, but also portrays its hero in a tender and loving fashion, and makes us admire him for his resilience and will to live. Although it takes place against a background of poverty, it’s ultimately a very affirmative portrayal of humanity.