Where Is the Friend's House? (1987)

Abbas Kiarostami's film is the first in the so called 'Koker Trilogy'; a coining that had no influence from Kiarostami himself. The friend of the title is a young boy, Mohamed, who in the opening scene is scolded by his schoolteacher for forgetting his homework book (he left it at his cousin's house who is also in the class and returns it to him). However, Ahmed, who the story focuses on and who sits beside Mohamed, mixes up their homework books at the end of the day, only realising when he arrives home. Knowing that Mohamed is under threat of expulsion if he doesn't complete his homework in the book, Ahmed takes it upon himself to return the book, despite Mohamed living in a neighboring village he isn't familiar with, being helped and hindered on the way by various locals. I was lucky enough to track down a recent Blu-ray restoration of the trilogy, and the opening film is a sumptuous visual treat, offering a fascinating cultural insight into the the village life of the Iranian region. The story line is as simple as it sounds, but that's not what what the viewer is here for. The beautiful Persian dialogue, so naturally delivered by the cast, makes for a gorgeously simple tale of morality, cultural authority, and innocence. I'm hugely excited to watch the remaining films in the trilogy. 7.8/10