Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List
Spoiler-free premise
Images and voices from an Iranian leper colony form a poetic documentary about illness, faith, beauty, labor, and shared daily life.
Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free+
At the Bababaghi leprosy colony in northern Iran, Farrokhzad observes residents receiving treatment, learning, eating, praying, playing, working, and caring for children. Her narration combines scriptural passages with original poetry rather than imposing a conventional explanatory argument.
Why it belongs
Forugh Farrokhzad joins poetry to ethically direct observation, refusing to separate bodily damage from beauty, intellect, community, or ordinary life.
Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case+
Farrokhzad joins unflinching medical observation to poetry, prayer, classroom scenes, and lyrical montage, granting residents of the leper colony individuality while confronting the social habits that keep them unseen.
Major award wins
No verified wins in this six-institution crosswalk.
Awards are reference metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Good for
Film Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.
Institutional reference ranks
Sight & Sound101IMDb Top 250—AFI 100—
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score
Great Cinema Master List scores
Greatness9.3
Engagement8.2
Ease7.5
Persian · Not Rated Documentary Short Mood: Thought-Provoking
