Iranian filmmaker and writer Dariush Mehrjui was killed on an autumn evening in his Shahriar County villa on October 14, 2023. A pillar of the Iranian New Wave, his lasting works and poetic vision transformed cinema into a platform for expressing philosophy, society, and the human psyche. Mehrjui was not only an influential filmmaker but also a thinker whose films consistently reflected Iran’s human and social dilemmas.
Born on December 9, 1939, in Tehran, Mehrjui’s youth was filled with music, and from an early age he was fascinated by cinema. His philosophical studies at UCLA in Los Angeles laid the foundation for the reflective approach that would define his work. Upon returning to Iran, he made his debut feature “Diamond 33” (1967). Though it was not commercially successful, it marked the beginning of his search for a personal cinematic language—one that would soon blossom in “The Cow” (1969), a film that heralded the Iranian New Wave.
Mehrjui was among the first Iranian directors to bridge literature and cinema. He proved that film could breathe new life into literature through his adaptations of Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” in “Sara” (1993) and Gholam-Hossein Sa’edi’s stories in “The Cow” and “The Cycle” (1974), producing a complex and poetic story. In addition to being timeless in Iranian film history, his enduring characters—like Masht Hassan in “The Cow” and Hamid in “Hamoun” (1989)—also speak to contemporary societal and human issues.
Poetry in the Center of Social Realism
“The Cow,” one of the first works of Iranian cinema’s New Wave and a landmark in the country’s modern cinema, would have to be listed if we were to set a standard for his serious filmmaking. Mehrjui and Sa’edi worked together to create the film in a brilliant manner.
The story, based on Sa’edi’s “The Mourners of Bayal”, centers on Masht Hassan, a simple-hearted peasant whose emotional bond with his cow drives the narrative. Mehrjui’s meticulous framing, careful lighting, and attention to the little things of daily life infuse the film with poetic resonance. The situations are straightforward but emotionally impactful, and the looks and silences convey just as much passion as the words.
Through its poetic language, “The Cow” immerses the audience in Masht Hassan’s inner world, blending social realism with the characters’ complex psychology. Here, the cow is not simply a farm animal, but also a symbol of human affections, fears, and jealousies that are deeply ingrained in Iranian peasant life. The film won numerous awards, including the OCIC Recommendation at the 22nd Berlin International Film Festival (1972), the FIPRESCI Prize at the 32nd Venice International Film Festival (1971), and Best Screenplay at Iran’s Sepas Film Festival (1970).
Subsequent films such as “Mr. Gullible” (1970), “The Postman” (1972), and “The Cycle” continued this exploration of everyday existence, portraying the harsh and beautiful truths of life from both social and philosophical perspectives.
“The Cycle” is a clear example of this viewpoint, as it depicts poetry emerging from the bitterness and darkness of social reality. Blood, the wellspring of life, turns into a commodity in a sick and dirty world. Like in a number of his earlier films, Mehrjui has literature as his primary focus here. By adapting Sa’edi’s story “The Garbage Dump,” he makes “The Cycle,” a social and analytical work that is really an elegy for the estranged human being. He transforms a harsh reality into a figurative and poetic realm in which the lines between death and life, good and evil, humanism and profiteering blur.
Mehrjui’s films explored a worldview, as well as ethical and human themes. His films exemplify his poetic and profound approach, which employed social realism, surrealism, and literary adaptations to explore the innermost recesses of the human psyche.
“Hamoun”: A Poem on Anxiety, Love, and the Pursuit of Meaning
Mehrjui’s “Hamoun” remains one of the most enduring works in Iranian cinema, depicting a modern man’s inner turmoil and fractured identity as he appears to drown in the storming seas of life and failed dreams. Hamid Hamoun—a tormented intellectual—floats between reality and dream, his thoughts and memories forming a stream of consciousness that feels like a long, haunting poem.
“Hamoun” is not merely a story of failed love or career; it is about the characters’ emotional and psychological states told through cinematic rhythm. Monologues and daydreams draw the viewer into Hamoun’s anxiety, hope, and despair. The interplay of music, light, and framing mirrors the emotional cadence of poetry, revealing the suppressed emotions and inner anguish.
Mehrjui masterfully blends realism and poetry. With exact framing, poetic lighting, tangible atmospheres, and precise music, he was able to convey nostalgia, love, and suffering while transporting the viewer into the characters’ world. This poetic and humanistic viewpoint is seen in films such as “The Pear Tree” (1998) and “Mum’s Guest” (2004), which depict life with tenderness, humor, and empathy.
“The Pear Tree” is a film about loneliness, remembrance, and the passage of time that, like a silent and bitter poem, illustrates human life and relationships in the setting of both suffering and hope. The film takes you on a journey into a universe where the lines between sleep and waking, love and loss, and reality and fantasy are blurred.
The film portrays the narrative of Mahmoud and his infatuation with his 14-year-old female cousin known only as M with poetic elegance; lovers robbed of their youthful passion and delight by time, politics, and separation. With its summer heat, bright sunlight, and intense calm, Damavand Garden comes to life. The camera motions, delicate dissolves, and exact details – the buzzing of flies, the beloved’s sweat drops, the lover’s tender touch – bring the image’s universe closer to music and poetry. Every glance at the pear tree evokes memories and sorrows, symbolizing an unseen and terrible existence.
With its swings between past and present and poetic silence, the film provides a philosophical exploration of love, loss, and the passing of time. Mehrjui adapts Goli Taraghi’s work into a romantic and melancholic song, a universe where every moment strikes people’s hearts and souls and inspires them to consider the beauty and frailty of life. The film, using the same poetic language as “The Cow” and “Hamoun,” conveys the passage of time and human loneliness in a quiet yet profound tone, forcing spectators to immerse themselves in their thoughts, as if they are speaking directly to the pear tree and whispering life’s secrets to it.
A Trilogy of Women, Identity, and Poetry
“Sara”, “Pari” (1995) and “Leila” (1997) comprise Mehrjui’s female trilogy. He once again displays his ability to blend poetry and realism in “Sara,” an adaptation of Ibsen’s well-known drama. By adapting a 19th-century story for Iranian society, he builds people and relationships in a vernacular style that is perfectly in touch with the typical Iranian mood. Mehrjui portrays Sara’s home, belongings, and everyday activities with remarkable accuracy, highlighting the contrast between her serene exterior and internal conflict. “Sara” is more than a family melodrama; it is a film portraying a struggle between men and women in a society riddled with conflicting moral codes and culture. Even in the story’s most straightforward passages, Mehrjui’s poetic and human viewpoint inspires empathy and introspection in the audience.
“Pari” is also a lyrical experience combining philosophy and spirituality. The story follows four intellectual siblings—Asad, Safa, Dadashi, and Pari—who each choose a different path in their quest for knowledge and salvation. Mehrjui, who freely adapts J. D. Salinger’s work and draws on the mystical allusions of Attar of Nishapur and Rumi, chronicles an inner journey to transcend oneself and achieve divine understanding. “Pari” is not simply a discussion between reason and faith, but also a poetic depiction of man’s interior journey in search of meaning.
In “Leila”, the lyrical element of film is most noticeable in Mehrjui’s portrayal of the characters’ feelings and thoughts. Through Leila’s first-person narration, he elevates a fairly simple story of infertility and remarriage to a profound and visceral experience. The fluid camera movement, flawless framing, and, most importantly, the inventive use of dissolve create a subtle visual poetry that transcends the traditional movie narrative. Mehrjui recreates a psychological and feminine experience using lyrical language that, while basic, has a deep and enduring impact on the audience.
Compassion in Ordinary Lives
“Mum’s Guest” is another of Mehrjui’s remarkable works, with simple and subtle humor that displays his lyrical and humanitarian perspective on ordinary life. The film’s plot is on a conventional family and the difficulties of interpersonal connections under unexpected situations. Mehrjui skillfully blends humor and tragedy.
Mehrjui’s poetic view in “Mum’s Guest” is more visible in the minute details and common moments of life, such as the movement of a hand, a character’s expression, or stillness, which reveals the characters’ feelings and inner state more effectively than any conversation. With this sensitivity to human intricacies, he elevates even humorous events from the superficial to an empathic and poetic experience.
Mehrjui’s film, like his previous works, depicts the clash between tradition and modernity, individual restrictions and freedoms, and the differences in how men and women perceive life in a tangible and flowing narrative. However, while the film is a societal critique, it also employs a poetic and humanistic framework, allowing the audience to not only enjoy the story but also empathize with the characters and feel present in the ordinary moments of their existence.
“Dear Cousin Is Lost” is one of Mehrjui’s finest and underappreciated masterpieces. He bravely explores a poetic mood and an innovative narrative in Iranian cinema. It is the first installment in the 1998 episodic film “Tales of an Island” (Mohsen Makhmalbaf and Rakhshan Banietemad directed the other two). “Dear Cousin Is Lost” invites the spectator to embark on a romantic and poetic trip through a visionary, oftentimes dreamlike atmosphere that varies between reality and fantasy.
Mehrjui breaks out from the constraints of linear narrative and moves the story along like a stream of consciousness or a dream. Kish Island, with its unique light and atmosphere, appears in the film as another character, contributing to the story’s dreamy and poetic tone. The unique and episodic narrative encourages the audience to focus on the tiny details, symbols, and poetic moments.
Mehrjui has always offered meaningful movies while remaining loyal to culture and society. What set him apart was not his medals and honors, but his poetic, human-centered, and philosophical attitude, which was influenced by cinema, literature, and music and provided a unique audience experience.
Iranian Poetic Cinema: A Living and Enduring Tradition
Dariush Mehrjui remains one of the most prominent figures of Iranian poetic cinema—a filmmaker who bridged philosophy and emotion, reality and imagination, society and the individual. His films reveal the quest for meaning amid anxiety, love, and redemption. Through a humane and empathetic lens, he transformed the ordinary into the sublime.
Mehrjui is hardly the only example of Iranian poetic cinema, though. Abbas Kiarostami’s visual melodies, Majid Majidi’s spiritual humanism, Safi Yazdanian’s nostalgic tenderness, and the poetic visions of younger filmmakers are all branches of the Iranian poetic cinema tree.
The 43rd Fajr International Film Festival, to be held in Shiraz from November 26 to December 3, 2025, will celebrate this vibrant legacy by welcoming Iranian and international artists to honor the enduring spirit of poetic cinema.
