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Bashu, the Little Stranger (Bashu, Gharibeye Koochak)
Directed by: Bahram Beizai
Starring: Susan Taslimi, Parviz Pourhosseini, Adnan Afravian
Year: 1990
Call No.: Other 791.4372 BAS
Location: Film Village, library@esplanade

It is the Iran-Iraq War. Bombs from an Iraqi air raid rain down on a small village in Khuzestan, Southern Iran. Hiding in the fields away from the carnage, ten-year-old Bashu sees his family killed, his home destroyed. Driven by the instinct to flee, he steals into the back of a passing truck. When he emerges, he finds himself far away in the North, where his charcoal skin and his unintelligible dialect mark him out as different and therefore, a “bugbear” of imperceptible threats. Only Naii, the independent mother of two who first finds him, is willing to brush aside all apparent differences and treat him as a human being.

What bonds us as human beings? This is the quintessential question that Beizai’s unassuming film seeks to explore. Is it language, that which was invented to facilitate communication among common men? Bashu casts doubt on this idea, for in the film, the fallacy of language is fully articulated in its futility in the face of cultural diversity. Speaking in his native dialect, Bashu cannot make himself understood. Neither does he understand what everyone else is saying.

Indeed, for much of the film, language is shown to be a potent weapon of discord and violence. Gathering at Naii’s house, the villagers, finding cultural superiority in numbers, make snide remarks about Bashu and chide Naii for taking in the “soot-blackened lamb” of unknown origins who will probably be nothing more than a troublesome “pest” to everyone. Amongst the disapproving glares and harsh tones, an overwhelmed Bashu suffers through the ordeal passively. He may not know the words, but he feels their malicious intent. A concerned Naii notices Bashu’s distress and furiously chases everyone out. But the damage is done. Immediately after, Bashu falls severely ill.

Here then, we realise the essence of relationships is underscored in the feelings we convey to one another, consciously or otherwise. Whether through language, sounds or silence, the means of conveyance matter little. It is what lies beneath that counts. See how this bears out between Bashu, Naii and Naii’s husband in the extraordinary ending to the film. While Bashu is away in the fields, Naii and her husband have a heated argument over the boy. Matters of shame aside, Naii’s husband has lost his right arm working at the warfront and his disability means they cannot afford to keep Bashu.

At this point, Bashu turns up. Man and boy meet for the first time. Upon learning his identity, Bashu offers a handshake, unaware of the man’s handicap. Naii’s husband can only hold the empty right sleeve of his coat forlornly, unable to reciprocate. Instantly, Bashu understands, for he has suffered great losses in the war, too. Breaking down in tears, he hugs Naii’s husband in commiseration.

As “father” and “son” bond over their unspoken losses, Naii’s nose suddenly pricks in earnest — she has scented a boar raiding their harvest fields. She adopts a feral growl. On cue, man and boy start gnarling in perfect unison. Without warning, the family — for they are one now — dashes to the crops in a cacophony of barks and snarls to scare the intruder away. As the scene fades and credits roll amidst the wild racket, we know Bashu has found home again. And from the sound of things, it’s as if he’s never been away.

At its core, Bashu is a film about the intricacies of human relationships and the ways we relate to one another. Take pleasure in its aural vivacity and visual splendour, but most of all, delight in the wonderful heart of this precious little film.

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Reviewed by Goh Peck Keong
Librarian for Adult and Young People’s Services