Kal Fatemeh

Nestled in an isolated and verdant mountainous region in Iran, Kal Fatemeh and her two boys live alone away from villages and towns. In this world, there is a delicate balance between humankind and nature. Fatemeh, unshaken by the challenging rural lifestyle, works the rice paddies, rears cattle and runs the farm all on her own. Often seen grieving over her daughter’s unhappy past, tender close-ups between the two show a tortured mother weighed down by guilt for having permitted her young teenage child into an abusive wedlock. The film, which is driven by visual narration rather than dialogue, draws us completely in by the undeniable demonstration of one woman’s extraordinary resilience. (Programming Collective)