Thirty-something Ali (Ekin Koç) leads a seemingly stable life. He teaches a course at a university in Ankara, is attempting to conceive a child with his wife, and tends a garden on the city’s outskirts — a task for which he enlists the help of a mysterious but capable stranger. However, when his ailing mother dies under ambiguous circumstances, Ali’s life starts to unravel, resulting in an act that shatters our understanding of his person.
Winner of the Directing Award in Sundance’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition, Iranian writer-director Alireza Khatami (Terrestrial Verses) delivers a tense psychological thriller with the shadowy ambiance of a classic noir and a boldly conceived twist on the vagaries of personal identity. “No one is resentful by nature,” remarks Ali’s newly hired gardener. An unsparing look at generational cycles of violence and corruption, this is a film that examines just how resentment arises, probing the demons we carry within us.
Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic Competition, Sundance 2025; Oscar Submission: Canada
Oct 3 & 4: Q&A
Supported by
Community Partner
Selen Kurtaran, Idil Engindeniz, Güliz Şirinyan, Aysan Sümercan Ölmez
France/Poland/Canada/Turkey
2025
In Turkish with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Naomi Despres, Michèle Marshall (Desmar), ErcanKesal
Producer
Elisa Sepulveda-Ruddoff, Cyriac Auriol, Mariusz Włodarski, Alireza Khatami, Michael Salomon
Screenwriter
Alireza Khatami
Cinematography
Bartosz Świniarski
Editor
Selda Taşkın, Alireza Khatami
Production Design
Meral Aktan
Alireza Khatami
Alireza Khatami is an award-winning writer, director, and producer based in Canada. Born into the indigenous Khamse tribe in southeastern Iran, Khatami draws from the rich oral storytelling traditions of his heritage, and his works are notable for melding magic realism with sharp social commentary. His debut feature, Oblivion Verses, premiered at the 2017 Venice Film Festival, garnering critical acclaim and winning multiple awards; his second feature, Terrestrial Verses (2023, co-directed with Ali Asgari), premiered in the Un Certain Regard competition at the Cannes Film Festival to rave reviews and has been theatrically released in more than 15 countries.
Filmography: Oblivion Verses (2017); Terrestrial Verses (2023)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Madonna: Truth or Dare
A year in the life of Madonna at the height of her fame, touring Blonde Ambition through 1990. There's concert footage, but the movie is also daringly truthful about life behind the scenes — not that Madonna is every really off-stage.
Honeyjoon
A mother and her 20-something daughter take a holiday together in the Azores to mark the anniversary of the loss of their husband and father -- but maybe the honeymoon package wasn't the best idea...
Another World
This hit anime from Hong Kong gives us an unpredictable, sometimes darkly karmic tale taking place on either side of the afterlife involving a headstrong princess with bad karma and the spirit guide who tries to help her get on a better path.