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(Bee Gees's Staying Alive)
(indistinct chatter)
(laughter)
(background chatter)
Come on, let's go out!
No, khanoum, it's too heavy for you.
Habibeh, you've been working since 5 a.m.
I can carry a cake.
Navid, keep smiling, you might give me some nephews.
(Navid laughing)
Khanoum, please let me take care of it.
Hello. Hello. Oy! Thank you. Thank you.
(clinking glass)
Gather round. Don't worry, I won't sing.
I promise. (laughter)
Thank you. Thank you all...
for coming this evening.
I guess the last year has been...
challenging.
It's one way to put it.
Very challenging, for all of us. But, uh...
we're still here, and we're celebrating.
And we have you to thank for that, son.
You and that hard head of yours. (laughter)
I can just hear your grandfather.
If he were still here,
he would be saying the same thing about me.
Now you're on your way to boarding school in the U.S.
I think we told you that we needed to think about it.
And I said, "Don't you even dream about it."
(laughter) - And in the meantime,
he did what any young man with a good, uh, you know...
Did what I did when I was your age.
You took matters into your own hands.
And I couldn't possibly be more proud.
So... here we are. (chuckling)
Sending Parviz off to...
Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts.
Travel safe. Study hard.
And don't you dare come home with a cowboy hat.
(laughter)
- L'chaim. (all): L'chaim!
Just eight months since the Shah fled Iran,
the Ayatollah Khomeini and his Islamic revolutionaries
have consolidated power and transformed the country.
Sharia law now rules the land,
and a rising tide of violence is now targeting
many of the very groups
that helped the revolution abound.
Students, socialists, intellectuals and, indeed,
just about anyone who is not an Islamic fundamentalist.
Revolutionary Guards are now running the city of Tehran.
Come on, baby, let's go up.
- All that needs is a match and: boom!
Oy.
Do you really not feel it?
Or you don't want to?
That we're sitting on a time bomb.
You see what that does to you?
It's not good for you. You get totally wound up.
Wound up! Our country is coming apart at the seams!
Please, Isaac, not again.
Open your eyes, Farnaz!
Take it all in.
Because at some point soon
we're going to need to leave it all behind.
Mama, Baba! Are you okay?
We're alright, sweetheart.
What happened?
Must've been a bad tube.
Yeah.
I, uh... have to... finish my packing.
Okay.
- Good night. - Good night.
(soft music)
In a shift away from its declaration
that the government would not include
a supreme Islamic clerical ruler,
the Ayatollah has claimed
that the Guardianship of Islamic Jurists...
Habibeh, would you turn that off, please?
Yes, khanoum.
Changes to the newly proposed constitution...
We need to talk.
I'll be home for lunch.
Good. At what time?
- One o'clock. - Okay.
What about my kiss?
- Bye, Baba. - Bye.
(crowd roaring)
(crowd chanting)
Lock your door.
Go on, you're gonna be late.
Shirin, your scarf.
How pretty.
Hmm. Beautiful, Harad.
- Thank you, boss. - Hmm.
Excellent.
No, we're actually ahead of schedule.
Yes, we'll ship the orders tomorrow.
Thank you. Mm-hmm, thank you.
Likewise. A pleasure. Bye.
Brother Amin,
we're here by order of the Revolutionary Guards.
You're under arrest, brother.
May I see your papers?
Brother, don't concern yourself with papers.
You're Brother Amin, correct?
- Yes. - Then come with us.
Yalla.
(soft, dramatic music)
(crowd roaring)
(PA announcement)
I'm Brother Mohsen.
Please follow me.
(coughing)
Have a seat.
Not there, the other one.
So...
Brother Amin...
what exactly do you do?
Ahem.
I'm a gemologist, and a jeweller.
Hmm.
Our records show that you travel to Israel quite a bit.
Is that correct?
- Yes. - What for?
Well, sir, I have...
Please, call me brother.
I have family in Israel...
Brother.
There are no laws against traveling there, are there?
Brother, are you familiar with the Mossad?
I have nothing to do with government affairs,
neither here nor in any other country.
I'm a businessman who happens to be a Jew,
that is all.
It's not that simple.
Tell me about your wife.
Farnaz Amin, right?
Wh-what does she do?
She's a housewife.
Really?
Then...
who is this?
I believe it says here Farnaz Amin?
This is not correct?
She used to write an article here and there...
This skating rink was a haven for sin, you realize,
and this article is a piece of propaganda for it.
No, it's not what you think.
She just wrote about what was going on around her.
Brother...
please tell me that she's alright.
Too many factors play against you at the moment.
(ringing)
- Hello. - Farnaz.
Ah, Navid!
Thank God you called.
I have been trying to reach you. Where are you?
It is better if I do not say.
What do you mean? I can't find Isaac.
Isaac...
has been arrested.
- How do you know? - From my friend.
He joined the Guards before this.
- But why? - You think they need a reason?
- Do you know where he is? - Not yet.
I will call you when I do.
You have to help me find your brother.
They'll try and break him, Farnaz,
and then we'll all be at risk.
I have to go.
(men groaning in pain)
(gate closing)
I know...
it smells awful.
It's terrible.
I'm sorry.
My name is Mehdi, by the way.
- Isaac. - So...
how is it outside?
Outside?
Since when? How long have you been here?
Close to eight months now.
Eight months.
(soft music)
Just remember,
if they ask you questions, say the minimum necessary.
Don't worry, Amin is a good man,
and he will get out. Praise Allah.
Every pilgrim goes to Mecca his own way.
Sister?
I am looking for my husband.
I was wondering if he's here.
We don't give out such information.
Brother, please...
I would like to know if he's alive.
He didn't come home from work last night.
Maybe he had better things to do.
I know plenty of men like that,
but Isaac Amin isn't one of them.
- Who is this? - I'm a friend.
Alright, wait here.
You see, khanoum, it's good that you brought me.
He liked the idea of someone like you
would have a friend like me.
- Come in. - It will be alright.
Yalla, yalla.
(door opening and closing)
(gasping)
State your name.
Vartan Sofoyan.
You know this man.
I am afraid not.
Then why the gasp?
The hood, brother...
it startled me.
Take him.
Follow me.
You know that man, Vartan Sofoyan.
I said I didn't and I don't.
Brother, I am here looking for my husband, Isaac Amin.
Sofoyan was good friends with the royal family.
He played for them on many occasions.
I really would like to find out where my husband is.
You were once a journalist.
Is that not correct?
I would not call myself that.
I wrote once in a while.
- A dabbler, then. - I suppose.
Only those who can afford to be dabblers dabble.
Those who have to work, work.
I could only afford it thanks to my husband,
who worked very hard.
Yes, he worked very hard in amassing his fortune.
He earned his money honestly.
- Tell me about these articles. - They were light pieces.
I'm feeling light this morning. Indulge me.
I wrote about foreign places.
You touted the virtues of alcohol
and gushed about cathedrals.
Your articles were pieces of propaganda
for an indecent life.
Why am I being interrogated?
I am not charged with anything.
Please, brother,
tell me where my husband is.
It's time you understood, Sister Amin,
that the times when people like you
could demand things from us are over.
Now...
it is our turn.
Get out.
Did they say anything to you?
They asked me whether I like being a servant.
What does that have to do with anything?
You're not letting these people put ideas into your head,
are you, Habibeh?
No. No, khanoum, of course not.
- Good. - But I don't know.
My son says there's a lot that needs to be set right.
What? Morteza has become a revolutionary?
He has joined the Guards.
I didn't want to tell you,
because I thought you might get upset with me.
But when I listen to him, he makes a lot of sense.
What does he say that makes so much sense?
He says, "Why should some people live like kings,
and the rest like rats?
And why should the wealthy,
so crazy for the West and Europe,
decide how the whole country should dress, talk, live?"
What if we want our mullahs to rule us and not that saint?
Morteza told me he's worshipped in Europe.
I know. Saint-Laurent? Or something like that.
- Yves Saint-Laurent? - Yes, that's him.
(laughing)
He's not a saint, he's a designer.
That is his actual name.
You see, khanoum?
You put me down every chance you get.
No, Habibeh, I'm not putting you down,
but you don't know what you're talking about.
You're just repeating some nonsense that you heard.
Khanoum, you're doing it again.
(sighing)
Sorry.
Habibeh, you're entitled to your feelings,
but what I ask of you is that you don't forget
the friendship that we've shared for so many years.
No, khanoum, I don't forget.
But am I a friend to you,
as Mr. Sofoyan is to you, and Amin?
You dine all together. You go to the theatre.
But in 20 years,
I have not even shared table with you.
(PA announcement)
(gates clanging)
(men shouting)
Get used to it.
If they don't say your name, thank God.
If they do, say a prayer.
(gate clanging)
(indistinct chatter)
He knew his end was near.
How did he know?
He just did.
One develops a sense for these things.
You can smell it on your interrogator's breath.
You know when he's had enough to deal with you.
(men shouting)
Your father gave it to me when Parviz was born.
He cut the stone himself.
Okay, when were you last wearing it?
For Parviz, at the farewell party.
You're going to be late getting Shirin to school.
Habibeh, have you seen my sapphire ring?
The one with the small diamonds around the centre stone?
I'm afraid not, khanoum.
It was just here. It did not walk out on its own.
I'll keep an eye out for it.
Thank you.
Tell me about your brother, Navid.
I'm not really all that close to him.
Well, it may interest you to know that he has a new job...
smuggling vodka into the country.
Well, if... in fact my brother
is involved with smuggling vodka,
I have nothing to do with it.
You know, I like you, for some reason,
and I want to help you, but I can't do it alone.
You have to help me.
You think he'll get away with it?
You and your family of libertines,
you think you can protect each other?
Perhaps there has been some mistake.
The mistake, brother, is yours.
You seem to think this is some kind of game.
No, no, no.
Then you will tell me where I can find your brother.
Look, brother, I am a simple man. I...
My preoccupations are my work,
and my wife, my daughter...
Simple?
I suppose figuring out all your bank accounts is simple.
I, for one, had trouble following it all.
I'd say it takes a pretty sophisticated mind
to carry out all these transactions.
Sophisticated in business, yes, but...
Listen to me, listen to me!
We know everything about you.
What you stock in your pantry!
Even the kind of cognac your wife likes to drink!
(sighing)
How sad it should come to this.
Here.
Help yourself.
We may be here a long time.
What's the matter?
I... I need a light.
Well, then, brother, just ask. And I'd like the same from you.
When I ask you for something,
I'd like to get it without too much difficulty. Come.
(screaming)
You can make it stop. You can make it stop!
(screaming, then groaning)
Ah!
(panting)
(grunting)
(sobbing)
(screaming)
(phone ringing)
Hello.
- Mama, it's me. - Parviz.
I'm just, uh... I'm checking to see how you are.
It is so good to hear your voice.
- And how is Shirin doing? - She's fine.
- And Baba? - He's...
he's still at the office, working late.
Listen, sweetheart, would it be alright
if I call you back later? I am expecting a call.
Okay, sure.
We love you.
I love you, too.
(mournful music)
(dial tone)
(mournful music)
Good morning, khanoum.
Good morning.
Are you alright?
Yeah...
I'm getting up.
This practice, khanoum, will have to stop.
Oh, I only had one glass.
One glass or 10,
it makes no difference.
It is illegal now.
Is that a threat?
It's just a fact, khanoum.
The fact is that this is my house.
And today is Wednesday...
so don't forget to wash the windows.
Yes, khanoum.
Isaac.
Barton.
Vartan Sofoyan.
My God.
Three weeks ago,
you were teaching Shirin to play the violin.
I wish...
(PA): All prisoners go back to your cells.
Farnaz, please take it easy, okay? Please!
Sorry, but nobody's picking up the phone in this place.
Why is that for? Just calm down.
I don't understand what's going on.
(man shouting)
Talia, what is happening? What are you doing?
Hey, hey, hey, hey. Everything's okay, don't worry.
Morteza, what is going on here?
Nothing, we're just trying to move the equipment and stones
to a more secure location. The stones?
To protect them from the revolutionaries.
We think they may want to seize them.
- Is that so? - Yes.
And how do you know?
Now listen to me, trust me, okay?
I just want to help you.
Wait, wait, please.
We would like to go in.
No, you cannot go in now. Just leave.
Where are you taking everything?
To a safe place. Now go home.
You must have more important things to take care of.
- I'm going in. - No.
You're not going in. I'm asking you nicely.
Don't let this get nasty. I'm telling you...
(screaming) - Farnaz!
Farnaz! (man shouting)
Whoa, let me go, let me go. Farnaz, be careful!
What is going on here?
Farhanika...
...can you explain this? I'm sorry, khanoum,
things have gotten out of hand.
I tried to talk sense into them, but there was no use.
They said... I was blind to all the exploitation
that's been going on for years.
- Exploitation? - They said...
These people were all unemployed gypsies
when my husband hired them.
He took them in, paid for their education.
Is this what you call exploitation?!
They weren't exactly gypsies, khanoum.
They might have lacked education, but we weren't...
I'm sorry, I did not mean it that way,
especially not about you.
It's just that I... I don't understand.
Why are they doing this?
How can they forget everything that he did for them?
That's how it is now.
Sorry, khanoum. Have you lost your mind?
This is not fair. He hasn't had his trial yet.
Farnaz, are you okay? Trial?
If you guys think there's going to be a trial,
you're going to be very disappointed.
Morteza...
why are you doing this?
Was my husband bad to you?
Did he ever refuse you anything?
You see, khanoum...
...you fail to understand.
I mean that sincerely.
You see, this isn't just about one man.
It's about a collection of men.
Men who turned their back on injustice.
Men who profited from a corrupt regime.
Men who built their villas
and traveled whenever they wished
to places the likes of us... didn't even dare to dream of.
Have you ever thought about how we lived? Huh?
Why does a country with so much give so little to the poor?
You never cared. But that's okay. You know why?
Because God has answered the prayer of the weak.
God is on the side of the faithful,
not on the sinners. God will forever...
Since when are you so faithful?
Just a couple of years ago,
you would show up with your tight jeans
and borrow our car to pick up one of your five girlfriends.
You think that beard makes you a man of God?!
Farnaz, come on, let's go. That's enough.
And since when is stealing people's possessions
the call of God?
You are all hypocrites
who have suddenly come into power
and don't know how to handle it.
Does anyone...
remember a time...
when this country
was just? Generous?
Cyrus the Great.
We were all equal.
Muslim...
Christian...
Jew...
Didn't matter.
We were a great empire.
Oh, Baba-ji, please.
That's the problem with this country.
We somehow think we're special,
because once upon a time we were great.
Darius, Cyrus,
Persepolis...
That was 2,500 years ago.
What are we now?
Huh?
Barbarians.
No...
(sniffling)
Not all of us.
You're gonna throw this to them or get a picture?
- Not yet. - Take a picture for her.
Ah! Wait... maybe a pin...
Sorry, sorry, sorry.
Mama!
What happened here?
I looked everywhere for that ring.
It's just not here.
No.
(laughing) - Look at Baba's head.
Yes, yes.
(laughter)
And look at you.
You're so beautiful.
What's he doing that?
- He's stepping on the glass. - What for?
It's to remind us that...
even in times of great joy,
there is sadness.
That love is fragile.
It can break if you're not careful.
Shirin-joon...
At some point,
Guards will be coming to search the house.
We have to get rid of anything
that could look incriminating to your father.
The same way that you had to tear the pictures of the Shah
from your school books...
...all of this will have to go.
(laughing)
(Shirin laughing)
That is your Uncle Navid when he was a little boy.
(laughing)
Mama?
Believe it or not...
...September 1958,
when I first met your father in Shiraz.
"My breath is narrowed down to one long sigh
for a red mouth that burns my thoughts like fire."
Give me that.
- Baba wrote that. - It is his handwriting.
The words belong to Hafiz.
- It's about love? - Yeah.
Let me read it.
"My breath is narrowed down to one long sigh
"For a red mouth that burns my thoughts like a fire.
"When will that mouth draw near and make reply
To one whose life is straitened with desire?"
(mournful music)
(Farnaz laughing) - Huh?
(Isaac chuckling)
- It is beautiful! (laughter)
Look at the kitchen!
Hmm? You like it?
- Can we afford it? - Yes.
(laughter)
Oh... it's beautiful!
It's beautiful!
- Want to see the best part? - Yes.
The bedroom. No, I'm kidding. It's not that, but come on.
Okay. Close your eyes.
Keep... No! (Farnaz exclaiming)
Yeah. (chuckling)
- Oh, a reflecting pool. - It needs some water.
You always talked about the one you had growing up. Hmm?
What was it you used to say?
"I could always count on its simplified beauty."
(chuckling softly)
Tell the pass code!
Hurry!
(banging)
Tell the pass code!
Hurry!
We are here to search your house.
Hurry! Take that.
Move. Take it.
Shirin. Shirin?
Shirin...
Radio!
Shirin.
I have to go check on my daughter.
- You're not going anywhere. - I'll be right back.
I'm sure your daughter is fine. Sit!
The ring.
Give it to me, or I'll cut it off.
Give it to me now!
(crying)
Mama!
Where were you?
I was hungry. I was in the kitchen.
Well... now that you are here,
show me where your mother keeps her jewelry.
Goodbye, sister.
It's okay.
Everything is gonna be alright, baby.
Ramin, eat, yes.
(Ramin moaning)
It's okay.
They already killed my mother.
They really killed my mother.
(PA): Bijan Yadgar.
Behrooz Ghodsi.
Jahanshah Soheil.
Isaac Amin.
Vartan Sofoyan.
(soft, dramatic music)
Ramin Ameri.
(shouting)
It will be alright. Isaac, it will be alright.
You will see.
Seventy-two virgins may be waiting for each of us.
(shouting) (man crying out)
(shouting)
Isaac!
Isaac! Isaac! Move!
Isaac, please! Isaac, please!
(crying out) (shouting)
(dramatic music)
(gunfire)
(guard shouting in Farsi)
(groaning)
(coughing)
(panting)
(distant cries)
(distant gunfire)
- Your mother is feeling better? - Much better, khanoum.
Hold on. Sugar.
Thank you. Her birthday was a real celebration.
You should see my nephew,
what a handsome boy he's becoming.
In a few years, he'll make a fine husband for Shirin.
And Morteza? Was he there?
No, khanoum, he doesn't come to these family gatherings.
He thinks he has better things to do.
Like looting.
What?
He didn't tell you.
He looted Isaac's office.
He and the other employees.
My Morteza?
- I was there, I saw it. - You misunderstood.
He said they were moving the goods somewhere else
for safekeeping, but I know better.
You know better?
What is it that you see it always right?
Is it possible you choose to see what you want?
- I saw what I saw. - You saw what you saw.
You're a kind woman, Farnaz-khanoum,
but you're full of scorn.
When I tell you maybe one day
my little nephew will marry your Shirin,
do you think I'm serious?
I say these things as a joke.
I know you will never tell me how you really feel,
so you say nothing or you smile!
I am telling you what I saw.
I saw your son and the other employees
taking jewels, paintings, tables, chairs!
And when I confronted him,
he said that Isaac had to pay
for the sins of a whole collection of men.
- He said this? - Yes.
Well, maybe Amin-agha should pay.
Maybe it's time someone paid.
Isaac has never harmed anybody,
least of all you and your son.
He does not have to pay.
Why is it that some people
were meant to be served on hand and foot,
and all others could hope for was washing toilets?
You think Isaac was born a prince?
No, Habibeh, the money didn't fall from the sky.
You work hard, you do well.
I work hard. My son works hard.
And you have come a long way from where you started.
Do I need to remind you
of the way you lived when we met you,
you and your snot-nosed son
selling flowers on a street corner?!
You were so emaciated that you fainted!
We got out of the car and Isaac said to me:
"Isn't there something we can do to help these people?"
And we took you in.
Now, you tell me...
is this what my husband has to pay for?
You say you wanted to become a poet.
So write me this.
How does a poet...
become such a rich man?
Perhaps because the...
the jeweller... and the poet
share the same weakness.
We seek perfection.
There is no mention of any friends or acquaintances.
I'm an introvert by nature, brother.
I... I enjoy spending time with my family
or... being alone.
Then we've brought you to the right place.
(whipping and screaming)
Hear that?
(whipping and screaming)
Now talk.
What do you want me to tell you?
I... I don't know the answers, I don't know what to sa...
Tell me about your activities for the Shah!!
And that brother of yours!
Where is he?!
I swear I don't know.
I swear...
Brother, I swear.
Brother...
Brother Mustafa, your next man is ready for you.
Brother, please.
I swear, brother, I swear to you, I don't know.
Please, brother, please.
(soft, dramatic music)
(blow) (exclaiming)
(dramatic music)
(indistinct PA announcement)
Psst-psst.
Navid, you scared me.
Did you find out where he is?
I wish I had more information.
The friend who told me about Isaac's arrest
tells me that the Guards are after me, too.
They will get us all at the end.
Next month I'm expecting lots of cash from a transaction.
I will use the cash to pay the smugglers.
They will take me over the mountains.
What transaction?
I'm importing vodka from Russia.
If they catch you...
they will execute you.
I can't really talk about it. The less you know, the better.
The only thing is, I need a bit of cash
to hold me over until the shipment arrives.
- How much do you need? - About 10,000.
Dollars?
- Of course. - That's a lot of money.
Please... if I don't get out of Tehran,
they're bound to catch me.
On one condition.
If anything happens to Isaac and I...
you will see to it
that Shirin and Parviz are safe and together.
Promise me.
I promise.
(indistinct PA announcement)
(sighing) - You can fill in the rest.
One more thing.
(gasping)
My God.
My ring.
I needed collateral against the money I owed.
I didn't mention it because I knew I would return it.
So long, Farnaz.
Kiss little Shirin for me and, God willing,
I will see you on some other continent.
Please, you need to leave, as well.
(gate clanging)
(coughing)
Water.
Fresh bandages.
Thank you.
Have you cried?
I can't anymore.
(sniffling)
You'll feel better if you cry.
(shrieking)
(running footfalls) Mohsen's little boy.
Why would he bring his child to a place like this?
Mohsen is very proud of his son.
You know?
He himself was in the same prison for many years,
tortured by Savak.
Do you know why?
They didn't need a reason.
So the missing finger...
That's not the only torture he underwent.
Let's just say he never thought he could have a child.
That little boy is a miracle, a badge of his faith.
He's not a bad man.
You may have trouble believing that, but he's not.
The Koran?
Have you ever read it?
You might find it helpful.
You have to believe that you will make it.
Have faith.
(phone ringing)
Hello?
Mama!
Sweetheart, how are you?
I'm great.
Actually, I'm just about to play baseball with my friends,
but, uh, I was wanting to...
I was wondering if Baba was there.
I wanted to say happy birthday to him.
I'm afraid he is not here.
What do you mean? Must be close to midnight there.
Mama?
Mama, what's going on?
Mama, wh-where is Baba?
He's been arrested.
What?
I went to prison,
but they wouldn't tell me anything.
- Is he alive? - I don't know.
I'm so sorry.
We should've left when you did.
- It's okay. - No, it's not.
Please, please, Mama, shhh.
It's okay, Mama.
I'm so sorry.
I just loved we were here.
Okay, I'm coming home.
- Nah, nah, nah... - Mama, please!
You stay in school, for you're safe.
There's nothing you can do here.
There's nothing I can do.
They will release him when they realize
that he's done nothing wrong.
And we will get out.
Please promise me that you will not come back,
that you will stay there.
Okay, okay, I... I promise.
I need to leave the line open in case your uncle calls, okay?
And what about Shirin, huh?
She's upstairs... asleep.
We are okay.
We will see you very soon.
We love you very much.
I love you, too.
(groaning softly)
(gate clanging)
(shouting)
(groaning and grunting)
(groaning)
(shouting)
(groaning)
(shouting)
(groaning) (guard shouting in Farsi)
(Farsi) (groaning)
(shouting in Farsi)
(Isaac whimpering)
(shouting in Farsi)
(rifles cocking)
(gunfire)
Ah!
(gunfire) (whimpering)
(gunfire)
(crying out)
(whimpering)
(crying)
(sobbing)
(Muslim prayer)
What can you say in your defence?
What I said before.
That I'm innocent.
(sniffling)
I will also say this.
I...
I have followed the wrong path in life.
I pursued material wealth...
...which in the end, brought me nothing.
Nothing?
Look at your villas,
the trips you took, the cars you drove.
Me, I have nothing.
For two years, my son wore the same shoes,
because I couldn't buy him a new pair.
In the end, I had to cut the front
so his feet could grow.
Yes, but...
look at me now.
And look at you.
I sit here before you...
my fate in your hands.
(Mohsen scoffing)
My daughter...
with her closet full of shoes...
has no idea where her father is.
The power of Abu Lahab will perish...
and he will perish.
His wealth and his gains will not exempt him.
Very well said, brother.
I see you've been using your time wisely.
I did the same when I was in prison.
I read.
They were difficult years, but...
...the Koran,
the Koran gave me hope.
You know that I bring my son here every day?
That is what I hear going up and down above my cell?
I once sat in a chair very similar to the one you're in.
Now that the tables have turned,
why should I have mercy on you?
Because I have nothing to do
with the people who caused you pain.
Oh, but you do.
You look the other way.
Yes, you're right about that.
I... I was blind.
I recognize that now.
But, please, brother...
...if you say that you sat in the same chair as me,
then you must know my fear.
And more than that,
my... despair at...
never seeing my family again.
I not only know your fear, I can smell it.
Afraid I've gotten addicted to it.
Than you are...
as much a prisoner today as I am.
Your mercy may liberate me from these walls...
...but more than that...
...it will save you from yourself.
I can change my ways.
I can prove my sincerity.
Perhaps I can...
sustain the cause of the revolution
with a generous donation.
How generous?
As generous as necessary.
I've received similar offers before, brother.
None was satisfactory.
I need a more specific answer.
Everything.
My entire life savings.
Everything.
(soft, dramatic music)
I have to go home first.
The bank will need proof of identification.
You don't have your driver's license?
My wallet was never returned to me, brother.
(groaning)
(sharp knocking)
(banging)
Isaac.
We don't have much time, sister.
My passport, where is it?
The passports were confiscated.
They came through here like thieves.
They took it all.
I need some identification for the bank!
(groaning)
You can't keep this place in order while I'm gone?
Isaac, I have your birth certificate.
- I need photo identification! - There's nothing.
Brother, I'm sorry for the delay.
I'm sorry, th-there must be something.
Let's go. Back to prison.
But...
No, no...
- Brother... Brother, please. - Now.
They've taken all my photo identification.
My passport was taken by your guards
when they came to my house.
Please... please, brother, take me to the bank.
- And waste my time?! - Wait!
Wait! Please. Please, please!
They will... they'll recognize me.
They will. I've been a client for 20 years.
They will recognize me.
Fariborz Jamshidi is the manager.
He was a teller when I opened the account.
- I can come with you. - Stay with Shirin. Shirin.
(dramatic music)
He appears to be off today.
No, I'm sure he's in the office.
May I help you?
Fariborz.
It's me, Isaac.
Isaac?
I would like to close all of my accounts today.
All in cash.
You heard the man, brother. Now get going.
Yes... right away.
Follow me.
(dramatic music)
So?
You're free, brother.
My hands are tied if they come back to you again.
And they will soon.
(whistling)
Amin-agha! You're free?
Didn't your friends tell you?
Uh, it's been a while since I've seen them,
but I was sure you would be released.
That's what I kept telling them, but you know how it is.
So what are you doing here now?
Now? Trying to figure out what's been taken from you.
You know, I wanted to keep a record for you.
I am not a halfwit, Morteza.
I know what took place here.
You're a thief.
Me, a thief?
Show me this so-called record you're keeping.
I was just getting started. Let's start downstairs, okay?
I... I am tired.
I don't have the strength or the taste for any games.
Whatever you stole is yours, we both know that.
There are no courts for me to turn to,
but at least have the decency
to look me in the face
and tell me what you are.
The only thing worse than a criminal is a hypocrite.
I wouldn't talk this way if I were you.
You see... I have a document in my pocket
that could make a lot of trouble for you.
- And what document is that? - Oh...
the past has a way of coming back to haunt us, doesn't it?
What document?
Remember this?
Remember? No?
It's okay, I can read it for you.
"Sale of... one ruby and diamond pendant to the Empress and..."
Want me to read the attached note from Her Majesty?
"Thank you, Mr. Amin, for this impeccable workmanship.
Iran is proud to have an artisan such as yourself..."
This is from a long time ago. This doesn't mean anything.
This is what made your reputation.
And then all the women with cash in their pockets
come running to you after that? Huh?
Thinking: If he's good enough for the queen,
ooh, he must be good enough for me.
This letter is your link with the Shah.
- Give it to me. (Morteza laughing)
Give it to me.
This piece of paper is your death certificate.
Why should I give it up, huh?
Oh, you're lucky I didn't find it sooner.
You already have all of the jewels,
and took everything.
What else could you possibly want?
- I want the diamond. - What?
The one you brought back from Antwerp.
It's perfect.
What if I told you I donated it?
To the Revolutionary Guards.
I don't believe you.
Do you have a choice?
- You give me that diamond! - How could you do this?
You give me that diamond, or this piece of paper
will be sent to the office of Imam Khomeini!
You listen to me, you little shit!!
You snitch!!
I am on better terms with the office of Imam Khomeini
than you will ever be!!
After all, I am one of their biggest donors!!
Along with that perfect diamond,
I have given them my life savings,
so all it would take for me to get you into trouble
would be a phone call informing them of all
of the things I would've loved to have donated to the cause,
if they had not been stolen
by a small-time punk named Morteza!!
Do you understand me?!
- Yes! - Yes!
- Yes. - They are my friends now.
Okay.
Now you be careful.
You be careful and go!
I fucking raised you!
I can find you.
(sniffling)
(crying)
(mournful music)
Baba-jan!
Baba-jan is here!
Baba-jan!
I missed you so much!
(Western playing on TV)
- Mama-agha. - Salud.
- Dinner ready? - Soon.
You shouldn't be watching junk like that.
You have your opinions and I respect them,
but you don't get to come in here
and tell your mother how to live.
I don't?
No, you don't.
I do if I want to.
Don't you dare to stand there and threaten me like some thug!
If you want to report me, then just do it!
What is that?
A letter...
written from the Shah to...
Mr. Amin.
Don't you think he's been through enough?
Don't you think we've been through enough?
- Give me that letter! - All that oil,
going to everyone but us Iranians!
Morteza...
Mama...
I-I'm doing this for you.
Then I'm asking you not to.
It's because you've been so cowed,
you don't even know how to fight for what is yours!
Who are you?
I don't recognize you anymore.
You're a stranger in my home.
I want you to leave.
Now, Morteza.
I want you to leave now... before I kill you!
Before I kill you! Mother!
- Before I kill you! - Mother! Mama!
- Before I kill you! - Mother!
Okay! Okay! Okay!
Out!
Okay!
(sobbing)
Boss, in our business, nothing can be predicted.
Not the weather,
not the Guards that patrol the borders,
not the encounters with snakes or wars.
You will need God by your side throughout this adventure.
I've called on God many times already this year.
Well, bring God along if he makes you feel better,
but you have to pay a fare.
You can have them checked.
Together they are worth about 150,000.
Yeah.
- Can we leave now? - Tomorrow at dawn.
Eat a good meal. Rest up.
You're going to need your energy.
Stop eating. You have to wait. What are you looking for?
Do we have any wine?
It is from Passover.
That will do.
(banging)
I should have waited.
Maybe if he'd fallen asleep, I could've taken the letter.
I am so sorry.
Habibeh, it's not your fault.
- Did he say where he was going? - No.
Doesn't matter now.
We're leaving tomorrow.
We were just going to sit for dinner.
Why don't you join us?
Please?
L'chaim.
Salamati.
(laughter) - Please.
They're not as good as yours.
The whole time I was there, I thought of you.
And Parviz.
Your mother.
I talked to you.
I embraced you.
I lived with you.
I'm going to a desert island and I can only bring one.
Parvez.
I was reading this the day we met.
I know.
I saw Vartan Sofoyan...
in prison.
So did I...
...when I went to look for you.
We were there.
We ended up in the same block.
I got to know him.
They killed him.
I am so sorry.
Me, too.
This is what we've been looking for.
He escaped custody just yesterday.
Yes, sir.
I was in the old office building when he came back
looking for diamonds he kept in a safe.
My guess is that he was planning to leave the country.
I'll pass this along to the proper authorities.
So tell me, where are the rest of the jewels?
You're under arrest, brother.
This is for good luck.
This is the key to Isaac's desk drawer.
It is where you will find the deed to the house.
It's yours now.
(sniffling) - Go.
(soft, dramatic music)
(gasping) - Close your eyes.
(dramatic music)
(laughter)
Yes?
(laughter)
Yes, yes!
Oh.
(child laughing)
This just came in.
Farnaz.
(Farnaz): They've seen us.
Shit.
Hang on.
(guards shouting) - Go, go, go!
They're coming after us.
Shirin, get down. Get down!
(honking)
I'm not going back to prison.
Hang on.
Shirin?
Just stay down.
Stay down.
Okay, go.
Around the corner. Baba.
Come on.
What was that all about?
They were asking for directions.
They were not locals.
They were sent here from Tehran to maintain order.
Come.
We have to hide.
- Get in. - Okay, okay, go, go, go!
Get in.
Okay, go.
Okay, go, go, go.
We'll get you five miles from the mountains,
then we'll take you by horseback and foot
over the Turkish border.
(alarm ringing)
Suspect's name is Amin! Go, go, go, go!
(horse whinnying)
Everybody out!
Go!
(gunshot) (neighing)
Come, come. (horse snuffling)
(barking)
(gunfire) Get down! Down! Go!
(gunfire)
(barking)
Don't move!
Brother Kerabi! (barking)
Mansoor-agha!
Yeah.
- Salaam aleikum. - Aleikum salaam.
Shit.
(guards speaking Farsi)
They have orders to take you in.
What?
(guards speaking Farsi)
Patch me through to Brother Mohsen.
(phone ringing)
Yes.
I have the suspect.
We are clear.
We can go now.
(Shirin crying)
(mournful music)
This is the border.
You're free!
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