By Juliet Huang, NUS Communications & New Media Year 2

Majid Majidi's The Willow Tree is filled with heartbreaking moments as multiple layers of human behaviour are peeled away right in front of our very eyes.

Parvis Parastui plays Yusef, a blind university professor who has lived his 38 years of his without the sense of sight. Suddenly after a miraculous discovery and an operation, he opens his eyes to the real world for the first time. Having been blind for most of his life, this sudden awakening leaves him grateful to God. In awe of the goings-on of the world, he goes back to his family to face the jarring reality of life and grapples with the choices and consequences that have come upon him.

The grief of Yusef's long-suffering wife (Roya Taymourian) is clearly felt through her muted reaction to her husband's betrayal, without dramatic narrative. His fellow bed-patient Morteza (Mohammad Amir Najid) who is blinded by shrapnel during the war, experienced so much trauma as a soldier that he is delighted to be blind again.

This is a layman's movie, without the usual drama, politics or sexual tension that are so evident in modern day commercialised productions. Rather, Weeping Willow presents a straightforward plot that is weaved with beautiful cinematography.

Although the story is told through a blind man, the many dilemmas portrayed could be the tale of any man's life. The defining moment that sets the tone for the entire film has to be the scene where Yusef takes off his bandages to see light and himself for the very first time upon a mirror. Crimson tears dripped from his eyes as he holds up his hands to his reflection, that savageness in him would be released further as the plot develops in the movie.

The Willow Tree draws upon many analogies that reflect the plight of the blind man as he makes decisions on his life, only to find out too late that his actions are sometimes selfish and cruel. When he regained his eyesight after the operation, he discovered that the world of the sighted is far from the garden paradise he was conditioned to expect.

While in total communication with God and in serenity at first, Yusef gradually loses this peace as he is exposed to the strange new world. He marvels at the shininess and strength of gold; he lusted after a younger woman; he unleashes fury upon his family and burns his braille books in anger. He begins to lose faith as he breaks away from the life without light and sight.

The audience is compelled to see through Yusef 's eyes with wonderment. Nature, as a fitting allegory to God, plays a huge part in this film. The pool in the backyard of his home mirrors his realisation of his inner nature. The willow tree around which Morteza and he derive happiness from at the start of the show, is a metaphor to the turn of events as the plot develops.

When Yusef goes blind again, a letter from Morteza asks, " Tell me what is worth seeing, and I'll tell you what is not worth seeing ( in this world )", challenging us to take a closer look at our lives.

We are left hanging in the end with Yusef begging for a second chance, and leave the theatre with the plot playing-back in slow-motion as we come into connection with the stark contrast of innocence and reality of our world.