Makhmalbaf's cinematic flair soars to new heights in Marriage of the Blessed a film he considers among his best.

Haji, a shell-shocked veteran of the Iran-Iraq war, struggles to find meaning in his life when he returns to his job as a photojournalist. Back in Tehran, he witnesses drug abuse, prostitution and grinding poverty, all of which he documents for his newspaper. Disturbed by the contrast between the soldiers sacrificing their lives at the front and the seeming indifference of the local population, Jaji sinks into depression and is plagued by ill health. Mahri, Haji's fiancee, hopes to speed his recovery by hastening plans for their wedding.

Notable for its startling experiments in color, the film reveals the tensions of a strife-ridden society and does not spare that society from criticism.