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James Mottram

3/5 stars
Set against the backdrop of recent protests and looming war, Ali Asgari’s on-the-nose drama illuminates the grim reality of everyday life in modern Iran.
Receiving its world premiere in competition at the Venice International Film Festival, A Bit of Light is Asgari’s sixth feature film and comes after 2025’s Divine Comedy. He co-wrote the screenplay of his latest film with Shadmehr Rastin, who previously collaborated with Jafar Panahi on the Cannes-winning It Was Just an Accident.
Set in Tehran, A Bit of Light opens in the wake of nationwide protests against the Iranian government in December 2025 over mounting economic hardship. The shadow of war looms as “this Trump guy” threatens to bomb the country, prompting residents to stick gaffer tape in an “X” shape over their windows to prevent the glass from shattering.
At times, Asgari flirts with black comedy. “War is a very strange thing; it gives you crazy ideas,” one character remarks, adding that he would not mind a missile striking his old house if it meant saving on demolition costs.
At the centre of the narrative is Arash (The Seed of the Sacred Fig’s Missagh Zareh), a kindly doctor who has reached the end of the road. After he treated wounded demonstrators, he saw his practice shut down and ransacked, while his medical licence was revoked.


In Iran, Arash reasons, when you wake up, you never know whether you will make it to the end of the day. Consequently, he has decided to end his life. With 20 years of medical experience, he notes, “I know how to end it painlessly.”
Rather than simply killing himself, he decides to put his affairs in order – from distributing his plants and finding a home for his cat to telling his brother, two sisters and mother of his intentions. If only Arash, a gentle soul, could open his eyes to how beloved he is by his family and by the patients who rely on him for medicine and comfort.
At the heart of the film is a soulful turn from Zareh, whose sad eyes speak volumes. It is a deeply human performance, full of warmth and humour – such as when he tells his mother he is 10kg overweight after she claims he looks thin.
Unfortunately, even his sensitive portrayal cannot propel a film that is sluggishly paced and lacks the desired emotional impact. A Bit of Light is a respectable work, made partly in Tehran under challenging conditions, but it remains a character study that never fully bursts into life.
There are quietly contemplative scenes – not least a moment of small joy as the family tucks into bowls of watermelon – but, set against the great works of Iranian cinema, A Bit of Light strikes only a minor melancholic chord.
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Ali Asgari’s Tehran-set drama about an aggrieved doctor who decides to end it all as war looms is well acted but never fully bursts into life


Ali Asgari’s Tehran-set drama about an aggrieved doctor who decides to end it all as war looms is well acted but never fully bursts into life.


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.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Ali Asgari’s Tehran-set drama about an aggrieved doctor who decides to end it all as war looms is well acted but never fully bursts into life

Ali Asgari’s Tehran-set drama about an aggrieved doctor who decides to end it all as war looms is well acted but never fully bursts into life