A young war orphan along the Iran/Iraq border somehow escapes to northern Iran, where his language—and his darker skin color—mark him as “a little stranger,” until a kindly mother slowly takes him in. A landmark of Iranian cinema and a deeply humanist work, Bashu, the Little Stranger blends realism with the quiet lyricism of a modern fable. Produced in 1986, the film stands as a sincere and enduring plea for tolerance and a subtle critique of rigid social norms. In a 1999 critics poll, it was voted “the greatest Iranian film of all time,” and its admirers include Amir Naderi, Jafar Panahi, and Mohammad Rasoulof. “A masterpiece” (Cahiers du cinéma).