Bashu, the Little Stranger (1989)

Lost in a foreign part of the country after running away for his life, a little boy whose family have been killed during the war is saved and trained by a middle-aged woman.

Director:

Bahram Beizai

Writer:

Bahram Beizai

Stars:

Susan Taslimi, Parviz Poorhosseini, Adnan Afravian

Cast

Credited cast:
Susan Taslimi	...	Naii
Parviz Poorhosseini	...	Naii's husband
Adnan Afravian	...	Bashu
Bashu	...	Adnan Afravian
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Akbar Doodkar
Farokhlagha Hushmand

Storyline

During the Iran-Iraq War, Bashu, a young boy loses his house and all his family. Scared, he sneaks into a truck that is leaving the area. He gets off the truck in the Northern part of the country, where everything from landscape to language is different. He meets Naii, who is trying to raise her two young children on a farm, while her husband is away. Despite cultural differences, and the fact that they do not speak the same language, Bashu and Naii slowly form a strong bond

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Plot Keywords:

boy | poverty | amputated hand | war aftermath | superstition | 

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The film is set during the war between Iran and Iraq, lasting nearly eight years, which commenced with the Iraqi invasion of Iran on 22 September 1980, and ended on 20 July 1988. The Iran-Iraq War has been called "the longest conventional war of the 20th century," and cost 1 million casualties.

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Connections

Referenced in Asho (2019)

User Reviews

When a displaced and scared boy has to survive, what does he have to rely on?

"Bashu" is special, important, soulful, educational, touching and not to be missed by anyone who even mildly likes film.

Aside from the cinematography acting as a medium and taking the viewer into the world of rural Iran, director Bahram Beizai uses supernatural touches to move the audience. Sussan Taslimi is tough and beautiful; the children in the film are delicious; the elders of the village are real, hateful, human.

Very little dialogue moves the story along, another feature that makes this film watchable. The piece is shot with trust and slowness that you can bathe in the surroundings without having to feel that you are on a mystery hunt. There is mystery of course and not all of it is explained. It certainly is not a Hollywood movie. It is not even a European movie. it is simply, A MUST SEE MOVIE.

Details

Official Sites:

sourehcinema

Country:

Iran

Language:

Arabic Persian

Release Date:

3 April 1991 (France)

Also Known As:

Bashu

Filming Locations:

Gilan, Iran

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kanun parvaresh fekri

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min 121 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1