Director: Iraj Ghaderi
Cast: Iraj Ghaderi, Bahman Mofid, Farzaneh Davari, Reza Taheri
Baradar Koshi (Fratricide) is a 1978 Iranian drama film directed by Iraj Ghaderi and written by Saeed Motalebi. It explores the shattering consequences of conflict between brothers, drawing on themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the weight of blood ties that have long defined Persian storytelling.
What is Baradar Koshi about?
Set against the turbulent social backdrop of late-1970s Iran, Baradar Koshi follows two brothers whose bond fractures under the pressure of competing loyalties and personal grievances. What begins as a domestic tension gradually escalates into an irreversible rupture, forcing each man to confront what family truly means when old wounds refuse to heal. The film builds its drama quietly, letting character and circumstance collide without melodrama, leaving the audience to reckon with the moral ambiguity at its heart. The screenplay by Saeed Motalebi grounds every confrontation in recognizable human failing rather than villain-and-hero simplicity.
Cast & crew
Director Iraj Ghaderi also takes a lead acting role, a dual creative commitment he brought to several productions of this era. He is joined by Bahman Mofid, a beloved comedic and dramatic presence in Iranian cinema, alongside Farzaneh Davari and Reza Taheri, both established figures of pre-revolution Persian film.
Context & significance
Released on the eve of the 1979 revolution, Baradar Koshi belongs to a generation of Iranian films that wrestled with family, honor, and societal fracture at a moment when the country itself was being torn apart. For diaspora viewers, the film carries a double resonance: it is a window into the cinematic world their parents or grandparents knew before exile, and a meditation on the bonds that survive — or do not survive — rupture. Persian storytelling has long treated fraternal conflict as a mirror of wider social decay, from classical poetry to modern drama, and this film sits squarely in that lineage. Watching it today is an act of cultural memory as much as entertainment.
Where & how to watch
Baradar Koshi is available on K-Time with Persian audio. Stream it on your browser, TV, or phone with no extra download required and no geo-blocking — wherever the Iranian diaspora calls home. Subscribe and cancel anytime.