“Where is the Friend’s Home“ by Abbas Kiarostami begins with a class room scene. The teacher while doing his usual chores starts checking the home work. After checking few works he finds one being done on a sheet of paper. Upon inquiring the student tells that he mistakenly left the copy at his cousin’s place. Then the teacher asks what is the time that he has made the same mistake to which he says 3rd time and on further pushing he starts crying to which the teacher says that it’s the last time he’s letting go the mistake and he will surely expel him the next time. Then as the school ends the kid gets out with his friend and they return home. They do some on the way plays while walking and the kid also has a good fall while running at which his friend helps.
Now the kid’s friend is at home where his mother is getting his kid brother clothed up after a bath, his brother is doing his homework and his grandmother watering the plants. He also starts upon his homework after some usual chores that his mother assigns him. As he begins with his homework he realizes that he also has his friend’s notebook.
Now faced with the situation of his friend getting expelled in the class tomorrow he decides to get him his notebook back but he is faced by his mothers non understanding of the gravity of the situation and after several unsuccessful attempts of persuading his mother, he leaves on his own without telling her.
And thus begins a struggle of finding friend’s home of which he doesn’t have a clue, save for the fact that he lives in Postheh. The movie is a beautiful meditation of general humanitarianism coupled with care and compassion and at the same time undaunted by meaning-less opinions and un-understanding adults. The movie ends on a note of triumph but not as expected by the kid.
Here’s an interview of Kiarostami in NYT of some time back.
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