Director Mohsen Makhmalbaf based this Iranian drama on his own life experiences, specifically centering the story around an altercation he had with a policeman as a 17-year-old. Makhmalbaf stabbed the policeman and was jailed. But two decades after his release, the director chose to revisit his memories of the time, and decided to track down the policeman, make amends, and film a dramatization of the story as it unfolded. It adds up to a compelling piece of filmmaking, and a touching human-interest story that lingers long in the memory after the credits roll.
