Margins of the funeral ceremony of Reza Davodenjad


The voice-over, this time belonging to Ahmad Shamlou, an icon of modern Persian poetry, gives somewhat of an introduction to the place. “In the broken and ruined port of Lengeh still comes the sound of relentless battle, of waves and the rocks of shores without men.” What follows are shots of decaying buildings, alleyways, and dusty cemeteries. With the images of ruination, the soundtrack picks up a lullaby in a mournful female voice (remarkably reminiscent of Rahnema’s Persepolis). Here, too, as in The Hills of Marlik and Persepolis, the ruin simultaneously points to a past synonymous with life and to the long process of decay that has followed.