Hendi & Hormoz

Blood-red waves break on the coast of Hormuz. The Iranian island has a rich supply of haematite, though few of its inhabitants profit from the red gold. 16-year-old Hormoz is consoled by the prospect of hiring on at the strip mine as he is married off to 13-year-old Hendi. Alas, the young man finds the doors of opportunity shut tight. When Hendi becomes pregnant Hormoz enters into an ominous pact with a smuggler in order to ensure his family’s livelihood. As in Valderama (2016) before, Abbas Amini depicts the existential struggle of young people and their longing for happiness. Set against a gorgeous backdrop of navy blue and Persian red, Hendi and Hormoz find their way to one another as their lives seem perilously close to coming undone. (Berlinale)