A toddler, a locked door, and a baby—what could possibly go wrong? EVERYTHING.
Calamity by four-year old might be another title for this tense, humorous drama. In the story, a four year old boy (Mohammed Aladpoush) is left at home with his baby brother while his mother goes out shopping. She has told him to give the baby his bottle while she is away. However, the boy has a different idea about what he should do, and consumes most of the bottle himself. The hungry baby's cries arouse the neighbors to try and get into the apartment, but it is locked, and the four-year old can't (or, more likely, won't) let them in. Despite a number of near-disasters, the enterprising young boy manages things just well enough (with the occasional help of shouted advice from frantic neighbors) so that serious calamities are avoided.
Direction
Forouzesh wrings Hitchcock-level tension from a living room.
Acting
Pourhassan's performance is terrifyingly authentic—no child actor tricks.
Director
Ebrahim Forouzesh
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot in post-revolution Iran, the film subtly critiques working-class struggles and communal living where neighbors become surrogate parents—and judges.
Forouzesh allegedly cast Pourhassan after observing his actual mischievous behavior, blurring documentary and fiction in ways that still feel ethically daring.
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