Until Ahmad returns S.S. Daghighi

20015 Irán,drama 82' Director Sadegh sadeh Daghighi Con Afsar Asadi, Parham Deldar, Mehdi Faghih, Javad Pouladi,

The movie is based on Iraq-Iran war in the 1980s. Karg Island (also. Khark) is a small island in the Persian Gulf, it was bombarded very heavily by the Iraqi Forces during the 8 year long military conflict between both the countries. Although the movie is based on war, but it tells us the “other side” of war. Director Sadegh Daghighi has really done a commendable job and one can easily say that the movie is well directed. One of the outstanding feature of “Until Ahmad Returns” is its acting and background score. The starting and ending music is really very good and touching. Overall, the cinematography and camera work too is great.

The movie tells the story of a family who are living on this island that is being bombarded frequently by the Iraqi Forces. The movie starts on a battlefield where two boys (Irani) are trying to help wounded soldiers. Suddenly, a shot is being fired and one boy gets down. Then the scene is shifted to a house where people are celebrating and singing on a marriage function. The marriage is of a girl named Maryam, she is very happy on her marriage except for the fact that her mother is not there in the house. The marriage is interrupted midway when the father tells the guest that he is going to his wife. As he reaches to his wife, who is missing her son “Ahmad” on her daughter’s marriage, he tries to convince her that Ahmad is his brave son and he will return for her sister’s marriage. The old couple starts moving towards their house. As they reach suddenly fighter jets starts bombing the island’s oil refineries. The marriage is called off and Maryam’s happiness is gone.

Later on, the father finds a wounded man (wearing Iranian Military Uniform) and thinking of helping him he takes the man to his home. This strange man doesn’t speak to anyone and just looks with empty eyes. Ahmad’s mother thinks him as her son’s friend and always keeps asking him when will Ahmad return? But, he never speaks a word. The film takes another turn when the Maryam’s groom abandons her because he thinks that she is having an affair with that wounded soldier. The biggest twist in the movie comes when some people caught the “wounded soldier” (who is now recovered) stealing a small boat and they returned him to Ahmad’s family, because he was their guest. The father is agitated and asks the man to speak and finally, the soldier breaks his silence and speaks… He tells them that he is an Iraqi soldier and to save himself from being captured, he took away Ahmad’s clothes after he was dead on the battlefield. Everything stops for Ahmad’s family and they decided to send him away from where he came from. As the soldier was going back on a boat in the sea, again the Iraqi planes bombarded the island. In the last scene, the soldier is shown helping the people after the bombardment. His heart might have changed and he could have stayed there….

This movie shows human emotions at the time of war, and it also tells us that no matter how bad we become there’s still humanity left in all of us.  The pain of Ahmad’s mother and father is very evident and Maryam’s trouble too is very well portrayed.