The Protest (2000)

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The changes that have swept Iran catch up with one man when's he's released from prison in this drama. When Amur (Dariush Arjmand) learns that the woman who is to marry his younger brother Reza (Mohammad Reza Foroutan) has been having an affair with another man, he does what he believes is the only… More The changes that have swept Iran catch up with one man when's he's released from prison in this drama. When Amur (Dariush Arjmand) learns that the woman who is to marry his younger brother Reza (Mohammad Reza Foroutan) has been having an affair with another man, he does what he believes is the only thing that can restore his family's good name: he murders her. Considering the killing to be a matter of honor, Amur stoically accepts a 12-year sentence for the crime, and most of his fellow inmates in prison regard him as a hero. But when Amur is released, he discovers that Iran has been in the midst of a wave of political and social reform, and the country he knew is now a very different place. Reza tells him that killing in the name of family pride has come to be regarded as barbaric, and that it's best not to discuss the incident with strangers; Amur also learns that his brother, a college graduate, has fallen on hard times and is delivering pizzas for a living. Reza is engaged to marry Ladan (Mitra Hajjar), a woman from a well-to-do family, and for the moment can do little to help his brother, so Amur tries to make his way as a debt collector for Mohsen (Mehdi Fathi), a fellow ex-con he met while behind bars. Eteraz was directed by Massoud Kimiayi, one of the few filmmakers from Iran's pre-revolutionary period who has remained active in that nation's film industry. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi