Vortex

Director:

Hadi Mohaghegh

Genre:

Fiction, Drama

Country/Region of production:

Iran, Czech Republic

Awards and nominations:

Official selection, Tiantan Award, 15th Beijing International Film Festival

Synopsis:

In the wilderness, a driver pulls over for a boy waiting by the roadside, who asks for a ride home. During their journey together, the boy explains that while working in a garden, he accidentally wounded a snake with his sickle and now needs honey to treat the wound. Upon arriving home, the driver promises to return with the honey. However, when he returns, he is met with shocking news that irrevocably changes his life's course and unveils a mystical bond between nature and humanity.

Why we recommend it:

Iranian director Hadi Mohaghegh's latest film "Vortex," also known as "Derno," is an allegorical journey through Iran. It employs languid, extended long shots to capture a majestic tree of wisdom steadily growing amid the gravel and loess of the Iranian plateau, traversing the threshold between illusion and reality and between life and death. The film follows the surreal journey of a middle-aged driver, using symbolic imagery such as snakes and honey to convey a modern interpretation of Eastern philosophy – portraying everything as nothing more than the dream of a sleeper beneath a tree, continually transforming and awakening through the cycles of reincarnation. The film's refined cinematic language is marked by its powerfully evocative visuals.