Deserted Station

During a photographic trip to the country with mentor Abbas Kiarostami, the idea for this film was born – literally by accident. Just like Raissian and Kiarostami at the time, the car breaks down of Mahtab and Mahmoud, a young couple from Teheran. They are on their way to Mashad, a place of pilgrimage, and get stranded in a remote area. The only person who can help them is a teacher in the neighbouring village. Apart from this teacher, all the men in the village have left for the city looking for work. Mahmoud, a photographer by trade, goes with the teacher to look for spare parts for the car. Mahtab (a beautiful role by Leila Hatami) stays behind in the village and takes over the class; she was once herself a teacher. She quickly develops a close bond with the children. When the car is finally repaired, Mahtab no longer needs to go on a pilgrimage: she realises that she has found what she was looking for.In Deserted Station, two very different worlds come together – city and countryside – that have a lot to learn from each other. Raissian, Kiarostami and scriptwriter Partovi (who was also responsible for the script of The Circle) attach great importance to education. Not only for children at school, but also for adults. The contrast between town and country is examined in a cheerful tone, but the film does not lose sight of the harsh reality of poverty.