boy with his hands up against the window with the sky reflected in the glassalr

Willow and Wind
(Beed-o baad)

Screening on Film
$5 Weekend Matinee Admission or Free with Cambridge Public Library Card
Directed by Mohammad-Ali Talebi.
With Hadi Alipour, Amir Janfada, Majid Alipour.
Iran/Japan, 1999, 35mm, color, 81 min.
Persian with English subtitles.

Written by Abbas Kiarostami, this tale follows a similarly allegoric, poetic path as his other films, following the journeys of children (The Traveler, Where is the Friend’s House?). Willow and Wind’s anxious young hero embarks on an epic quest to repair a classroom window he broke. Aside from the kindness of a new classmate and an old glassmaker, the boy is on his own to secure the glass and fix the window himself. As the vulnerable, lithe “willow” of the title, he bravely endures a grueling, nail-biting journey through high winds and storms, over treacherous terrain, and even aboard a fellow student’s motorbike—all while nervously carrying the delicate sheet of glass. Never giving up hope, he learns many difficult lessons along the way—just as young viewers will, as soon as they recuperate from this breathtaking adventure.

Age recommendation: 12+

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