The Stranger and The Fog(Gharibeh Va Meh)

Evoking the epic dimensions of myth, legendary director Bahram Beyzaie’s oneiric parable remains one of the most mysterious films of the Iranian New Wave, and one of the most distinctive recent rediscoveries of international cinema. Arriving at a premodern seaside village aboard a drifting boat, a wounded stranger with no memory is viewed with suspicion by the townspeople. Falling in love with a local widow, he tries to put down roots, yet he cannot discard the foreboding of being pursued by assailants from his forgotten past. Dripping with haunting imagery, violent interruptions and frenzied theatrics, Beyzaie’s nightmarish vision conjures his own mythology to capture society’s truth more accurately than many realistic films. Banned after the 1979 revolution, this rare gem remains the ‘holy grail’ of Iranian cinema.

Restored by The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project and Cineteca di Bologna in collaboration with Bahram Beyzaie. Funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation.

Film talk with Lau Yam