The Apple

Directed by the 18-year-old daughter of Mohsen Makhmalbaf (who wrote and edited this film), this tells the story of two gauche, innocent girls suddenly let loose on the streets of Tehran (by a pleasingly determined social worker) after being kept locked indoors for twelve years by their impoverished, elderly father and their blind, deeply insecure mother. Like so many Iranian films about children, it's simplicity itself in terms of its narrative, but cute charm is effectively offset by the harsh, unsentimental portrait of family life based on inflexibly strict, finally self-serving traditions. It's a witty, gentle but often surprisingly acerbic little movie, slowly working its way towards a quite devastating final shot which underlines the need for an open heart and mind.