Hard Shell

Leila, a young and talented tightrope walker, was banned from performing by the authorities. Since then, she has been working in her father's old circus. Samir is a teenager who falls in love with Leila and, instead of going to school, spends his days at the circus. At the same time, as political and economic problems in Iran deepen, the boy's father, Siamak, after many years of working in different jobs, gets a job as a foreman on a small donkey farm. When the animals start to disappear, he comes across terrible secrets and a web of corruption.

Director: Majid-Reza Mostafavi

Cast: Payman Maadi, Mehran Ghafourian, Hanie Tavassoli, Fereshteh Hosseini, Masoud Karamati, Mohammad Shakeri, Shirin Zabetian, Mehdi Hosseininia

Audience-only score — full critic data not yet in the ReelXO vault.