I don’t know why I haven’t seen this before, but it was interesting. Earlier, there was mention of this short film possibly getting nominated for the Oscars, so I figured I’d check it out. Though it seemed kind of short, it really got the message across.
The film is about two survivors of the Iran-Iraq war, Zahed and Najah. Years after the late 80s/ early 90s, Najah explains he enjoys his current job and is okay with life, though the war is described as brutal. Zahed on the other hand is upset about having joined the army and can’t get the horrible memories cleared from his mind. He had no choice but to fight no matter how much he wanted to bail.
Back during the war, Najah’s bunker is under attack and Zahed approaches Najah. Zahed, finding a holy book and a family picture, suddenly decides not to kill Najah and instead save him from the dreadful fight. He finds a way to hide Najah and takes him to safety until the Iranian forces finally win. Najah never believes this amazing experience and never sees Zahed, as he went to prison.
Afterwards, Zahed moves to Canada where he can live freely. Najah also ends up moving to Vancouver in 2000 as his family gets worried and wants him to live with them. Zahed gets more depressed with his life and plans to kill himself. His roommate suggests an alternative which happens to be a place for war survivors. And it just so happens Najah meets Zahed there.
I can’t give away much more but I will say this: The film was the most heartwarming and amazing short documentary I’ve ever seen. It doesn’t seem like much but it really shows how pointless something like war can be. It also shows how deep a Canadian work of art can be sometimes.