Synopsis
BOYS WITH BROKEN EARS is an intimate look at the hopes and struggles of a handful of young Iranian wrestlers as they prepare for the biggest event of their lives; the world championship in Europe. It’s a social tale set against the qualms of committing one’s life to a dream at a young age.
With unprecedented access to the national youth team, the film follows five characters from impoverished background as they journey through the most challenging year of the lives, examining their beliefs and aspirations along the way.
Wrestling is a very popular sport in Iran with historical roots in the country’s religion and mythology. It is like football for the Brazilians or boxing for the Cubans.
Iran has consistently produced outstanding world champions that have gone on to win gold and silver at the Olympics despite very little financial support from the government. However almost all wrestlers come from the slums and poverty stricken districts and wrestling has provided a very slim chance to make something of their lives. As a result two million youngsters try to make it to the national youth team every year, but only a handful do, most of whom find themselves in an uncompromising situation of having to hold down jobs to help their families survive while also spending all their time training to keep their dreams alive.
Caught in this crossroads between a sport they love and the realities of their harsh circumstances they soon realise that even with a gold medal their lives will hardly change, and this dream is a luxury that they cannot afford.
The film at its core is a human story, but it is loaded with themes of social identity in Iran and the confrontation of traditional and modern values. All this is set against each character’s decision whether to continue pursuing this love or not.
Characters include Payam and Massoud, two childhood friends from the southern city of Izeh of the recently settled nomad tribes of Bakhtiari. They have grown up and arisen through the ranks together. Payam sees life as a battle that you have to fight, “kill or get killed” is his mantra, whereas Massoud wants to plan his future more realistically, and unlike Payam he believes “courage alone doesn’t get you anywhere”. We follow them in their preparation for the championship and witness Payam injuring his knee ligament, whilst keeping it secret from his family; he wrestles through the pain to prove his worth to the coaches.
We also meet Peyman, from the conservative city of Boroujerd in central Iran. Peyman has recently lost his father, and now it is up to his older brother to support the whole family. Unlike some of the other wrestlers Peyman’s school records are very impressive. His teachers try to stop him from continuing wrestling “don’t become just another wasted talent in this country, you will ruin your youth in wrestling” they tell him. At the end wrestling won, he changed school and studies lighter subjects in order to pursue his wrestling ambitions. He came very close to losing his dreams in the championship at the prospect of being forced to forfeit his match against an Israeli wrestler whom Iranian athletes are not allowed to compete against.
Boys With Broken Ears
Directed by Nima Shayeghi
Documentary
Iran / UK
Theatrical Version: 1:18:05
TV Version: 53:41
Production Company Contra Image