Hendi and Hormoz is one of those unrelenting films that recall the novels of Thomas Hardy, which usually feature downtrodden characters of impoverished background. In this case, we have the two title characters: Hendi, a young girl of just 13, who, as the film opens, has just concluded an arranged marriage to Hormoz, at 16 barely able to justify the moustache on his upper lip.

They are good people, whom circumstances seem to conspire against. Because of these circumstances—Hormoz continually unable to find paid work; Hendi forced to leave her madrasa, or school—you suspect early on that the story will not end well, but you suppress these suspicions, and continue to root for your downtrodden characters, who (you feel) deserve a happy ending. You cling as long as possible to the hope that tragedy will be averted.

Hendi and Hormoz, set on the bleak island of Hormoz in the Persian Gulf, is a good example of the kind of film that festivals like VIFF are best at: human stories set in an unfamiliar culture and geography, which, despite the lack of landmarks, despite the subtitles, draw you in because the dilemmas faced by the characters are, to some extent, universal.

Many other couples besides Hendi and Hormoz have discovered too late that they have married too young; many of us struggle to survive in tough economic times. Injustice is also universal: in every culture, in every country, those with even small amounts of power cling to their power, and exploit those who are powerless.

I'll try to avoid spoilers, but will say that director Abbas Amini does offer viewers a small measure of hope at the end of Hendi and Hormoz. It's far from a Hollywood-style happy ending, but perhaps the best that one could hope for under the circumstances.

There is one more screening of Hendi and Hormoz, on Thursday, October 11 at 9:45pm. You can view a trailer for the film here.