I admit that the main reason I liked The Night Guardian (Negahban-e Shab) is that the hero and almost all of the other characters are kind, well-meaning people, which one doesn’t encounter too often in movies. Even the villain has redeeming qualities.
Rasoul (Touraj Alvand) is a rural worker, who, because of a prolonged drought, is forced to move to the city to earn a living. After struggling and being taken advantage of, he hits his extremely modest version of the jackpot. Looking for work, he arrives at a large construction site just as the night watchman is being fired. The owner of the project, Mohandes (Mohsen Kiaei), turns to Rasoul and offers him the now vacant position. Not only he is now employed, but Rasoul is also given a room to live in. A hard worker, he carries out his tasks efficiently. An older employee, Daei (Ali Akbar Osanloo), takes Rasoul under his wing and teaches him the ropes.
Daei, recognizing that Rasoul is single and shy, even helps him meet an equally shy, attractive young woman, Nasibeh (Laleh Marzban). Once Daei gains confidence in Rasoul’s kind demeanor and his sincerity, he reveals that Nasibeh is his own daughter. Nasibeh is as taken by Rasoul as he is by her. Not wanting him to be misled, Nasibeh reveals to Rasoul that she is hearing-impaired, which is why she has not been considered marriage material. Rasoul couldn’t care less; he loves her.
Meanwhile, at the construction site, there are problems that even Rasoul becomes aware of. The purpose of the construction project is to create housing for teachers. Mohandes has been selling units for five years, but they are never ready, and the buyers begin demonstrating.
Mohandes tricks Rasoul into signing a piece of paper, telling him that he will be going to a distant spot to do work that will earn him a higher salary. Rasoul passes on this good news to Nasibeh and her family. But the paper Rasoul signed actually gets him arrested for fraud, and he is sentenced to prison. Surprisingly, Mohandes, who has been cheating people right and left and caused Rasoul to be imprisoned, continues to tell Nasibeh and her family that Rasoul is away at work, and he brings them gifts, claiming that Rasoul sent them.
Another problem develops when Daei begins suffering from dementia and wanders off in the middle of the night. Rasoul, once released, wants to do whatever he can to help the family deal with Daei. This leads to an ending in which Rasoul expresses his kindness for the man he considers his greatest benefactor.
This is the fourth time one of director Reza Mirkarimi’s films has been chosen to represent Iran at the Academy Awards. The first time was in 2005 with So Close, So Far. The third time was in 2014 with Today, a touching story about a hardened taxi driver who finds he has a soft spot for an unmarried passenger who is about to give birth. Mirkarimi’s 2012 film, A Cube of Sugar, was also selected to represent Iran, but the Iranian government ordered a boycott of the Academy Awards to protest the short film Innocence of Muslims by American Nakoula Basseley Nakoula that mocked Muhammad.
