WITH almost no dialogue, and no subtitles for the few words spoken, it is sometimes difficult to follow this story of an Iranian boy's life on a brickmaking compound.

The sound of the wind scraping over the barren desert landscape underscores the harsh living conditions for the families at the brick kilns. Even the face of the young boy verging on manhood has been permanently creased by exposure to the elements, giving him a strangely aged look. The wide shots of the compound take in an expanse of sandy brown - the sand workers walk on becomes the bricks they sell, the massive kilns to bake them in, and the hovels they live in.

Director Jalili uses meaning-laden looks and abstract sounds in an attempt to bypass language as the primary means of understanding his film. Without the necessary cultural context, however, connections are lost and it is not clear whether the young girl and boy are to be separated because of a marriage arrangement or the end of the work season. The significance of the old man's prayer book or the daily rituals of the workers are also lost. The film paints a portrait of a community at the mercy of the elements - the rain that might be a blessing to farmers is a curse to people who see their labour dissolved into formless mud. Many of the subtler points being communicated by the director are undoubtedly lost, however, as the viewer is left speculating about the accuracy of her interpretations.