This is an unsentimental, brutal and a breathtakingly beautiful film. The fact that it is described as a docu-drama is a credit to the performances of the children and the directoral vision of Bahman Ghobadi. A group of orphaned Kurdish children live on the poverty line in a village on the Iran-Iraq border. Doing anything they can to make money, the children work in markets, carry tyres, and work for smugglers though are often cheated by their employers. Working in extreme conditions, they feed the horses liquor to take away the sting of the cold. The siblings attempt to earn enough money to pay for an urgent operation for their brother, Madi. Set against the backdrop of political disturbance and military action, this film foregrounds the struggle of children who have no part in the troubles around them. Showing the strength of spirit under the direst of conditions, while being totally unforgiving in its representation, this film is enlightening and extremely moving. A powerful cinematic event.