HERE, A SHINING LIGHT

Iran, 2002, 100 minutes.
Directed by Reza Mir- Karimi.

Here, a Shining Light is a film about Muslim religion, even Muslim spirituality. It focuses on a mentally retarded man, in the image of the classic idiot savants like The Idiot (or even Forest Gump). He travels on a train, going to a destiny promised by the prophet, "The end." On his return, he is reprimanded by his uncle, who is the custodian of a shrine which is going into decay, the people not caring for its upkeep and having lost their faith. His uncle has to go away and entrusts the shrine to the man. Many people come to him, engineers who are searching for mines in the area, people telling their stories, a young woman who looks after the sheep and is to be married off. Gradually, in accordance with the spirituality of the prophet, he gives away various implements in the shrine, ultimately giving it all away, especially to the young woman so that she can shelter her sheep. While the shrine is destroyed, he has fulfilled the message of the prophet by giving everything to the poor. He continues to go on his train journeys.

The film was directed by Reza Mir-Karimi?, who made the very impressive film Under the Moonlight, a film set in Teheran about a young man coming from the country to train to be a Mullah and, again, the challenge to his faith in order to be with the poor.

1. The impact of the film? As a human drama? The retarded man and his goodness? Muslim spirituality, generosity to the poor?

2. The title and its meaning, in relationship to the shrine, in relationship to the man?

3. The countryside settings, the mountains and the desert, the beauty of the countryside? The train line, the village, the shrine in the mountains? The changing seasons? The musical score?

4. The introduction to the man, on the train, audiences understanding his mental limitations? His conversation with the man reading the book? His explanation of himself? His not having a ticket, put off the train, audiences realising that he did this often, the reprimand from his uncle, the chase and the beating?

5. The uncle and his status in the village, caring for the shrine, his having to go away, his dilemma? The repair of the shrine, the uncle and his not giving much money, the workers and the old man sending the younger man back to ask for more money? The money focus of the people? The funeral ceremony and the uncle saying that the people had lost their faith?

6. The retarded man and his knowledge of the prophet, the spirituality, the folkloric stories? His being put in charge? His trying to understand, his understanding of spirituality as giving to the poor?

7. His looking after the shrine, putting it in order? The various implements in the shrine, the table, the Koran, the candles? The aspects of ritual?

8. The background to the town itself, the people, the engineers and the mining? A town in transition? The people working in the hills, the woman looking after the sheep?

9. The various people coming to the shrine, the man and his capacity for listening? The engineer and his story? The other people and their talk? The woman and the planned marriage to the older man?

10. Their satisfaction at being heard, the poor people, the man starting to give away whatever was in the shrine? His devotion to the woman with the sheep, her not wanting to go into the arranged marriage? His being prepared to marry her? Her going away, returning with the sheep, sheltering them in the shrine with the snow and its roof gone?

11. The man, the shrine itself destroyed, yet his generosity towards the poor and fulfilling the spirituality of the prophet? His continuing his train journeys?

12. A film illuminating universal spirituality, the relationship of this Muslim teaching with that of the Gospels and the Beatitudes?