Iranian film brings audience to tears

By Salman Siddiqui/Staff ReporterIranian filmmaker Maziar Miri brought the audience to tears with his heartwarming movie, The Painting Pool, at Ajyal Youth Film Festival, which concluded yesterday.Miri, whose film was screened on Friday night, received several rounds of applause. The filmmaker also answered questions of the audience at the end of the screening.There are many stories within the story of the film. On the face of it, it tells the tale of a mentally-challenged couple who face the challenges of raising their young child together. The child, who faces no mental health issues, is happy to be with his parents, but as he grows older, he starts to feel embarrassed about his parents. In school, when his teacher asks him to bring his mother for a parent-teacher meeting, he feels disgraced. There is also the story of a struggle of another family in the film, who have no such mental health issues, but still face difficulties in leading a normal life. The impact of sanctions on Iran is also beautifully portrayed in the film. It shows how people at the bottom bear the brunt of the economic woes.Miri said he was awed by the response he got from the audience in Qatar and hoped to come again to the country with another movie.There were many in the audience who were touched by the film as the universal message of peace, love and friendship resonated with everybody,An Iranian woman in the audience said the movie reminded her of her own sister, who too was mentally challenged, and applauded the filmmaker for bringing a heart-wrenching story to life.