19

After getting infected with COVID-19, a 57-year-old Iranian painter, single woman, Mitra, goes into a coma. With her last breaths, she begins travelling to different pieces of her memories through her unconscious mind. Mitra’s spirit comes back home to pack an imaginary luggage full of her bittersweet memories and take it away. Moments before her last travel, just like Lot’s wife, she looks back at the lives of hers, her friends and her generation… at what they have done, what they have built and what they have ruined…

Directed by Manijeh Hekmat, 19 leans on a strong ensemble — Pantea Panahiha, Bozorgmehr Hosseinpour, Katayun Amir Ebrahimi — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 2021.