Natoor-e Dasht

Mehdi Salehi (cinema critic)

The director who was previously known for "Twenty-One Days Later" and the series "From Fate" has appeared this time with a relatively better work. A notable point in the director's direction is the mastery of the film's rhythm. Although in parts of the second half of the film, there is a noticeable slowdown in the narrative, overall the director has succeeded in creating continuous suspense and keeping the audience with him until the end of the film.

The screenplay for "Natur Dasht", written by the wise and Hamid Akbari Khameneh, has significant strengths on the one hand, and weaknesses that cannot be ignored on the other.

Among the strengths of the screenplay is the intelligent presentation of social issues. The film's story, which revolves around the disappearance of a village girl in Golestan Province, is an excuse to explore deeper concepts such as social trust, responsibility, and the conflict between family duties and social obligations. The character of Ahmad Piran, played by Hadi Hejazifar, as a retired environmentalist who is forced to stay in the village on the eve of a trip to support his son, is a symbol of this conflict.

However, the screenplay also suffers from weaknesses. The abundance of subplots and the lack of organic connection of some of them to the main storyline are among these weaknesses. In particular, the plot related to the character of Saeed Agakhani, although attractive in itself, has little connection to the main narrative line and sometimes causes the film's rhythm to drop.

Hadi Hejazifar has given a good performance in the role of Ahmad Piran. With a certain restraint and calmness, he has portrayed the character of a responsible and trustworthy man who is caught in the middle of the conflict between family duties and social responsibility. Hejazifar's acting is believable, allowing the viewer to feel the character's inner anxiety and fear even in the quietest scenes.

In contrast, Mirsaeed Moloyan, in the role of Ayhan, has created a complex and multidimensional villain. Using his nervous tics and penetrating gaze, Moloyan has created a character that is both frightening and pitiful.

Among the supporting actors, Shabnam Ghorbani, in the role of the mother, has managed to present a somewhat emotional and impressive performance. Although the presence of some of the other supporting actors seems somewhat artificial, overall the film's acting team has a harmonious and consistent performance.

Morteza Ghafouri, the film's cinematographer, has created meaningful images by taking advantage of the pristine nature of Golestan Province. The use of wide long shots to show the grandeur of nature, and the use of close-ups and close-ups to show the characters' inner emotions are considered strengths of Ghafouri's work.

The film's cold and gray lighting and color scheme also serve well to create the atmosphere of the work. These technical choices are not only aesthetic but also serve to convey the film's concepts and convey to the viewer a sense of anxiety and insecurity prevailing in the atmosphere of the story.

The film "Natur Dasht" was filmed mainly in real locations in Golestan Province, which has helped to make the atmosphere of the story believable. The film's set design and decoration have presented a realistic image of rural life with an emphasis on simplicity. From the design of houses to the environmental protection station, everything has been carefully selected and arranged.

The costume design has also been chosen in line with the overall atmosphere of the film, simple and native, and has helped to make the work a documentary. Although this attention to detail may not be noticeable at first glance, it has added to the visual richness of the film and the believability of the atmosphere of the story.

Hamed Sabet as composer and Hossein Abu al-Sadegh as sound designer have played an important role in creating the atmosphere of suspense and anxiety in the film. Although the film's soundtrack does not use local melodies from the region, it has managed to create a universal atmosphere that is in keeping with the mood of the drama.

The sound design in the nighttime sequences of searching in the plain has had a significant impact on conveying a sense of tension and apprehension to the audience.

From a psychological perspective, the characters in the film have been well-developed. Ahmad Piran symbolizes the awakened conscience of society, and Ayhan represents the inner darkness of man. The confrontation between these two characters is actually the confrontation between good and evil within every human being.

"Natur Dasht" is not simply a mystery film with a simple plot, it is a multi-layered work that deals with deep social and psychological issues. On the one hand, the film refers to the crisis of trust in Iranian society, and on the other hand, it deals with the confrontation between tradition and modernity in rural society.

The title of the film "Natur", meaning guardian, is itself a symbol of responsibility and protection of human values. The plain is also a symbol of pristine nature and primary purity that is opposed to human pollution.

The missing girl can also be a symbol of society's lost innocence. The collective search to find her is actually a search to recover this lost innocence.

This film is a work that both attracts the general audience with its compelling narrative and provokes the specific audience to think with its deep layers of meaning and semiotics. "Natur Dasht" is one of those works that keeps the viewer's mind busy long after watching it.