Set in rural Iran, this elegantly composed film offers a subtle social critique while documenting the mostly uneventful life of an elderly couple. The man is a thirty-year veteran of the railroad company. He operates a safety gate where the train tracks intersect with a rarely used road. His wife weaves carpets to supplement their income. A letter comes from the railroad company, a letter they cannot read, saying that the man has reached the age of retirement. A new guard comes to live in a small house by the train crossing and the old couple's life is shattered. Using a nonprofessional cast, more silence than dialogue, and Ozu-like camera set-ups, Shahid-Saless crafted a remarkable film of painterly beauty in which light deserves a separate credit. Produced by actor/director Parviz Sayyad, Still Life was one of the first productions of The New Film Group cooperative.-Alissa Simon