The Old Bachelor

In an Iran weighed down by a struggling economy, two middle-aged brothers live with their bullying father. A man prone to rages and driven by chauvinism, the father’s abusiveness found his second wife leaving him. Now he picks on his eldest son, while the younger sibling fantasises about ways to kill his father. When the man rents out the flat above to a young woman, with intentions of marrying her, the woman’s attraction to the older son slowly pushes this profoundly damaged family to breaking point.

If Oktay Baraheni’s debut feature, Bridge of Sleep (2016), drew inspiration from Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, his sophomore feature channels the dark soul of Shakespeare’s family tragedies. A coruscating critique of patriarchy, like the best Iranian films The Old Bachelor’s power lies in balancing the specificity of its locale with a wider, more universal commentary on any society where gender inequality exists, and patriarchy is accepted as the status quo. The performances by Hamed Behdad, Hassan Pourshirazi and Mohammad Valizadegan are roundly superb, while Leila Hatami excels as the new resident unaware of her landlord’s intentions. Baraheni once again proves himself a writer and director of rare sensitivity and profound compassion.

– Vanja Kaludjercic