Mossafer is shot in black and white with non-professional actors (I believe with the exception of one character which is indeed performed by a professional actor).
There are two great strenghts in this film. First, it really knows how to tell a story. It's a story anyone could easily tell in a couple of minutes. Second, it is very realistic, it really transports us to different place in a different time.
The story will appeal to almost everyone who has been a child wanting to do or to have something in spite of the will of parents, teachers or society in general. Luckily for us, the film is economical in the way it tells the story. There are no meaningless scenes or boring long shots as is usual in this kind of author cinema. It is no surprise that the film runs under 90 minutes.
During this eighty something minutes we are taken to the town of Malayer, roughly 400 km southwest of Tehran. The year is unknown, but we are probably in the late 1960s or early 1970s (the film was released in 1974). In Malayer, we get to know many boys whose life seems to revolve around school, home and playing football whenever possible. We also get acquainted with a few adults (parents, teachers, shop owners or passerbys).
One thing that somehow transpires with all these characters is a sense of dignity all these persons possess. No matter if the father punishes the son with his belt (as we are told, although not seen), or if the teachers are brutal and have little interest wether the boys learn or not or even if the main character uses quite unethical and even illegal schemes to pursue his objective of going to Tehran to watch the Iran's national team playing: they all have their legitimate desires and no one can take their dignity away.
All in all, this is a film that resonates and stays with us for many days. I would not call it a masterpiece but it is certainly a very special film.
