A traffic officer is assigned to enforce driving restrictions in central Tehran (a locale near the director’s Kanoon office). The officer, a rock star in his own world, remains coolly authoritative as he faces a steady stream of exasperated motorists.
From Taste of Cherry to Ten, Kiarostami often uses a car to signal Iranian society’s tumultuous contradictions. This fascinating documentary about a Tehrani street and its beleaguered traffic warden drives home the challenges of being a citizen in society, while being trapped by its rules.