The Pear Tree

The Pear Tree is a 1998 Iranian drama film written and directed by Dariush Mehrjui with Homayoun Ershadi and Golshifteh Farahani in the lead. It was noted for the exemplary craftsmanship of Dariush Mehrjui on his examination of the Iranian bourgeoisie. This film also marked the debut of actress Golshifteh Farahani.

Synopsis
Mahmoud (Homayoun Ershadi) is suffering from writer's block and he is unable to continue the book he is currently working upon. He decides to take a break from his routine life and plans to visit his family's rural estate that is situated at north of Tehran. He also intends to complete his book in this visit. While at the estate, Mahmoud's attention is brought to the old Pear Tree that is situated behind the estate by the old gardener of the estate (Nematollah Gorji). Seeing the Pear Tree, Mahmoud thinks about his past - his infatuation towards his  14-year-old female cousin known only as M (Golshifteh Farahani), his adolescent dreams, how that changed over the years. The rest of the film chronicles thoughts of Mahmoud and his past.

Cast

 * Homayoun Ershadi as Mahmoud
 * Golshifteh Farahani as M
 * Nematollah Gorji as Old gardener
 * Shaghayegh Farahani
 * Mohammad Reza Shaban-Noori
 * Sassan Bagherpour
 * Jafar Bozorgi
 * Amir Ali Ghezelayagh
 * Shahram Haghighat Doost
 * Ahou Alagha
 * Rahman Hoseini
 * Jahangir Mirshekari
 * Maryam Moghbeli
 * Maliheh Nazari

Reception
The Pear Tree was met with highly positive reviews and considered as a majestic inclination of internalization of Iranian Cinema. This movie is usually considered as one of the finest example of Dariush Mehrjui's craftmanship. While some of the reviews compared it with Ingmar Bergman's The Wild Strawberries, some of them noted that some of the flashback scenes served as fragile symbols for the Mehrjui's hope for Iran's future. The performances of Homayoun Ershadi and Golshifteh Farahani were hailed, and so was the cinematography of Mahmoud Kalari.

Awards

 * Silver Hugo Award for Best Feature Film in Chicago International Film Festival (1998)
 * Simorgh Prize for Best Actress for Golshifteh Farahani in Fajr Film Festival (1998)
 * ''Simorg Prize for Best Cinematography for Mahmoud Kalari in Fajr Film Festival (1998)