THE RUNNER

Director: Amir Naderi

1984, 91min., NR

Language: Farsi with English subtitles

Screenwriter: Amir Naderi, Behrouz Gharibpour

Cast: Madjid Niroumand, Moussa Torkizadeh, Abbas Nazeri

 

Don’t miss the chance to see the revival of a masterpiece exactly where it belongs – in a cinema with a single, enormous screen! Crisply restored in 2K from the original negative, this gem of post-revolutionary Iran is both delightful and a powerful indictment of how childhood was – and continues to be – hijacked. Amiro (Madjid Niroumand) is an illiterate 11-year-old orphan living in the Iranian port city of Abadan. His daily survival depends on shining shoes, selling water, and diving for deposit bottles, while being bullied by older kids. But Amiro finds a place of comfort by dreaming about the cargo ships and airplanes that so easily slip away, leaving his city behind. In a celebration of optimism, he tries to escape an impossible situation by the liberating feeling of running – even if his destination remains unclear. “Tactile, gritty and vivid, but it is also so much fun. The joy and vibrancy of filmmaking just leaps off the screen.” – Christy Lemire, NPR Los Angeles.