This Iranian film, invited to the Berlin Film Festival following their previous film, Ballad of a White Cow (2021), has gained much acclaim from festival audiences. While it does touch upon aspects of contemporary Iranian society, the film doesn’t make political statements but rather transparently portrays the desires of a 70-year-old woman. The protagonist, Mahin, is an elderly woman living alone and stricken with loneliness. Her children are married and living abroad, occasionally calling but don’t have enough time to listen to Mahin’s stories. Although she gathers with neighborhood friends to chat, it doesn’t fill her loneliness. One day, Mahin visits a restaurant where pensioners eat free lunches and meets Faramarz, a taxi driver. Realizing that Faramarz is also an elderly person who has lived alone for a long time like herself, Mahin invites him over. As they drink long-hidden wine, Mahin and Faramarz become intoxicated with romantic feelings. While desires do exist in elderly life, it’s not easy to show them openly to others. The honest and bold expressions of affection depicted in this film create a special emotional resonance different from typical romance movies. (NAM Dong-chul)