Rangeh eshgh

In Persian poetry, love and desire for another human being are both expressed frankly and frequently, and sometimes (though not always, as some scholars would have us believe!) as metaphors for the human desire for achieving union with God.In this documentary, shot in the historical city of Shiraz (ah,to be away from Tehran for once!) during the mourning month of Muharram, the film-maker alternates her focus between both worldly and other-worldly love. On the one hand we have three sets of people talking about their relationships (a couple married some years, the wife clearly somewhat disenchanted; a young man and woman - not yet a couple - in love with the idea of being in love; an old lady remembering the love of her life)while on the other these very people are shown preparing for or participating in the mourning festival. An intimate look at the lives of ordinary people, this documentary taught me much more about the place of religion in the everyday lives of Iranians than did many books. Highly recommended.