Among the Clouds

Among the Clouds is a first feature film by the Iranian director Rouhollah Hejazi that was shown and awarded at the Fajr Film Festival in Teheran in 2008. The story takes place at an Iranian-Iraqi border and presents an unforgettable picture of this far-away world.
Malek is a teenage boy who earns extra money carrying luggage for tourists and religious pilgrims at the Iran-Iraq check-point. One day he spots the beautiful young Iraqi woman Noura, who earns her living helping Arab pilgrims from Iraq cross the border and find their way around in the nearest Iranian city. Malek cannot keep his eyes off Noura and regularly looks for ways of catching a glimpse of this beauty. He does this while he is working, trying to keep his feelings private.
Noura takes advantage of Malek's naivety and his emotions and asks him for help: Can he carry some bags for her clients? Malek does not hesitate. But this is only the beginning of Noura's plans. The boy embarks upon the dangerous activity of smuggling things (and people), which could get him into big trouble. When Noura disappears, he decides to go search for her in Iraq, in the town closest to the border. Dangerous situations and sobering discoveries follow. (LC)