Sham'i dar baad (2004) Online

A Candle in the Wind (Sham'i dar Baad) The film describes the sufferings of the lost generation in the Iranian society. The youths have lost their way and are seeking a path into the light. They are dubious of their surrounding and the people who surround them simply because they have failed as true guides to the youths. They are selfish and seek their own egoistic aspirations regardless of the hopes and aspirations of their offspring. A Jungian approach to the film is appropriately applicable. According to Jung, people wear persona or masks to conceal their true identifies. Needless to say that these masks are imposed by the society and the milieu in which they live. Furthermore, people wear such masks in order that they show a favorable face to the people around them. Farzin (Bahram Radan) is manifestly disillusioned due to the disintegration of his family and his discovery of the true identity of his parents. He sees no hope ahead and consequently pins his remaining hopes on the girl who is different from the rest of the others and is altruistic enough to spend her time and money in a charity institute she has started. Yet to his despair, the girl who does not belong to this world or say she is too much for this world soon departs and leaves him a complete wreck. Farzin, now a hopelessly shattered being, seeks solace in the company of his friends who have lost their identity in a similar way.

The father of the family (Jamshid Mashayekhi) who does not even bother to listen to his son or pay attention to his desires is responsible for what happens to him. His mother (Azita Hajian) who is alone thinking of finding a way out of her own miseries becomes oblivious of Farzin's expectations. She is equally responsible as her husband in bringing about this bitter sense of despair in Farzin. In order to while away the time which heavily weighs upon him, Farzin indulges in narcotics and is brought on the brink of complete destruction when he is ultimately saved by his elder step-brother who has come back from abroad for his father's mourning ceremony. Farzin eventually reconciles with life by continuing the charity institute initiated by the girl he loved, thereby instilling a meaning into his empty life.

The film laments the sufferings of a neglected and disillusioned generation threatened by an impending danger of psychological breakdown and loss of hope.

The stellar cast remains no room for any verbal praise.