A BRIEF PEACE

Synopsis

Twenty years after the disappearance of the young Iranian Ali, his mother can finally bury him. He used to work for the air force and died as a martyr, she explains. She is not the only one who found her loved one after searching for years; many Iranians have only recently had the opportunity to identify their disappeared relatives. At a special cemetery, they are interred collectively. The mourners have had to wait in line to make a reservation for a tombstone, and one man even has the presence of mind to ask for a discount. Through a window, they watch how the corpses are wrapped in shrouds. In many cases, the only remnants are a weathered belt, an old shoe or some bones. The tombstones are meticulously engraved, complete with a portrait of the deceased, carved in stone. Contrary to the westerners who want to prolong their life, for the Orientals and specially the Muslims, death is the beginning of a new life and they embrace it. So there is also time for relaxation: people play a game of volleyball or watch a basketball game on TV. a brief peace presents the culture of death in Iran, depicts how close death and life, laughter and tears or sadness and happiness can be. The cemetery is a rendezvous, a picnic place, a play ground and a training place for the soldiers.