CHEVALIER NOIR

2022 / 102 min / color

Iman and Payar are brothers who live with their father in Shemroon, north of Tehran. After the death of their mother they both want to make changes in their lives, and have to face important choices. Iman, the more restless of the two, gets swept up in the party life of the Iranian capital, full of drugs and shady deals, while Payar focuses on his goals as an athlete. Despite their many differences — particularly their temperament — what they have in common beyond family ties is the feeling that, much like their peers, they’re living in a kind of limbo. On the one hand, there’s an attachment to their family legacy and the traditional values of the older generation. On the other hand is an intense need for freedom. For each of the young men, the difficult path toward freedom has a completely different meaning, which will affect the future of their family. Basing the film’s script on his own experiences, Emad Aleebrahim Dehkordi uses an individual story to convey a broader perspective on contemporary Iranian society. Particularly the younger generation, who are increasingly detached from the past, and eager to finally be free to live their own lives as they see fit.

• Marrakech IFF – Best Feature Film