Wishes And Dreams

In this slice-of-life play, a documentary filmmaker offers the inhabitants of an apartment building a chance to tell their personal stories. Director Mehdi Hashemi developed the script for Wishes And Dreams via improvisation with the large cast. Each one hopes for a better life, and they are not afraid to share their dreams, even if they are big ones. (In this, Hashemi seemed to have them speak for many Iranians.)

A young woman is left in the lurch when her vain boy friend refuses to marry her. When her family is less than sympathetic, she finds unexpected support among her neighbors. The building's matriarch engages her dead husband's ghost in dialogue. Resident simpleton Khosru offers comic relief but also wise advice for all. These are just a few of the situations and people that the young director, dogged by a bitchy girlfriend, tries to capture. One by one they reveal their dreams to him. Some are simple, but one of the kids is determined to play in big-league soccer.

That by and large the characters come off as more than cameos is a credit to Hashemi. While only the more experienced actors succeed in conveying a fully-rounded psychological profile, each one in the large cast does bond with the audience. Although the intent was to keep the production simple so as not to eclipse the actors, Ali Akbar Afshin-Neeah's lighting scheme never gets beyond the rudimentary. Musical themes could underlined the emotional states of the main characters and fill in during the numerous scene changes.