★★★★ “An outstanding lead performance from Payman Maadi lies at the heart of this powerful, slow-burning drama” Total Film

Writer-director Milad Alami’s accomplished second feature weaves an emotional domestic drama around a wrestler torn between family and suppressed desires.

In the aftermath of a devastating rumour, Iman (Payman Maadi) and his family have been forced to flee Iran. As refugees, they end up in a run-down hotel in northern Sweden. Despite feeling powerless, Iman tries to maintain his role as the family patriarch. To increase their chances of asylum, he breaks a promise to his wife and joins the local wrestling club. As the rumours start to resurface, Iman’s fear and desperation begin to take a hold.

With an engaging cast, this meticulously rendered drama reveals how complex social dynamics can affect an individual’s inner self, with the refugee crisis as a searing backdrop to a story about masculinity and family values.

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