Blackboards

Country: Iran 2000

Picture imdb
Details rottentomatoes

Seen 9 February 2006
The film begins with a group of teachers looking for students. The story highlights two of them. One encounters a group of children who are go-betweens across the border carrying contraband goods, whereas the other teacher meets up with refugees who were going back to their village. Throughout their adventure, the two teachers try to entice their respective flock into learning how to read and write. The two were doggedly persistent in their pursuit to spread knowledge in whatever situation they found themselves. Certain scenes involving this fool hardiness borders on the absurd and comical, darkly comical. The struggles of the boys and refugees juxtaposed against the teachers' persistence was filmed on a "as is" basis. I guess it is a story told in a documentary style. The viewer gets images of the lives of these people, struggling to go on with their lives despite the obstacles they face. Some succeed but some succumb to the hardship.