After a car breaks down, a man working in the garage recognizes the driver. The next day he kidnaps him to revenge the brutal injustices he endured as a political prisoner. His journey to confirm the identity and seek retribution involves several other people, as they drive around the city trying to decide how to deal with this dodgy situation. Iranian writer/director Jafar Panahi has suffered some of these issues himself, so he’s created this drama with ethical quandaries surrounding the social critique. His style is minimal: The camera is usually static, allowing the interactions to play out in wide shots without any editing to create emotional tension. The dilemmas faced by the group are involving, but they include lots of talky debate about the best outcome. The ambiguous final scene offers an interesting conclusion. 
(3.5 / 5)
