BELOVED SKY

Iran, 2011, 93 minutes, Colour.
Directed by Dariush Mehrjuyi.

Beloved Sky won an award from the Interfaith Jury at the Fajr Festival in 2011.

The film, initially, seems very straightforward and realistic. An impatient doctor is caught in traffic. He collects the results of some x-rays, only to discover that he has a terminal tumour. In his reaction, he travels out into the countryside. He sees a town, goes into it, helps the people and remains there, working with their ailments, since they have not had a doctor for some time, reading the memoirs of his predecessor, helping the people to build a shrine.

When he leaves the town, he finds that he is cured. However, in trying to rediscover the town, he finds that it was destroyed fifty years earlier – and he has had a mystical, time-shifting journey, which has had an effect on him, psychological conversion, miraculous healing.

The film combines the realistic traditions of Iranian cinema along with more mystical and religious aspects.

1. The realism of the film? The mystical aspects? Transcendence? Miracles and faith?

2. The opening in contemporary Teheran, the traffic and streets, the hospital? The score?

3. The country locations, the roads, the cliff, the village, the mountains, the homes and the life in the village?

4. The doctor, his initial impatience, congratulations on his work, the diagnosis and the information, the effect, his driving and weeping, his wanting to see his daughter? Going to the cliff? The x-rays and throwing them away? Driving, his contemplating suicide on the cliff, the old couple and their asking his help?

5. The couple, the man with the heart attack, his decision to help, giving them a lift, going to their village, the village seeming unfamiliar? Their offering him the doctor’s house, everything clean, the offering of meals, his resting, his headache?

6. The encounter with Uncle Gherabi, his status, his potions, the tisane?

7. The next morning, everybody turning up, the range of ailments, the vaccines and their wariness, the medicines fifty years old, the doctor being dead?

8. His collapse, the medication?

9. Uncle, his going to seek the azure flower, his trek, the caves, his return?

10. The ceremony, death, weeping?

11. The doctor reading the former doctor’s book, the mystical explanations and experiences?

12. The doctor helping to build the shrine, the arches?

13. His collapse, the operation, his being better, healthy?

14. The doctor and his friend, the search along the road, trying to find the village, ultimately seeing the ruins, the shrine that he had helped construct, the time-shifting? The mystical experience and journey?