Director: Dariush Mehrjui
Cast: Akbar Abdi, Ezzatolah Entezami, Faramarz Fardtombekian
Ejarehneshinha (The Tenants) is a 1986 Iranian comedy-drama film directed by Dariush Mehrjui, one of the founding voices of the Iranian New Wave. The film follows a group of tenants living in the same building whose clashing personalities and economic pressures spiral into a chain of absurd, deeply human situations.
What is Ejarehneshinha about?
Set in a Tehran apartment block, the film weaves together the lives of several families and individuals who share walls but rarely share goodwill. Economic anxiety sits at the core of each storyline — late rents, cramped spaces, nosy neighbors, and landlord tensions create a pressure cooker of everyday conflict. Mehrjui draws comedy from the friction between social obligation and self-interest, letting characters reveal their contradictions without condemning them. The film does not resolve its conflicts neatly; instead it observes, with affection and a sharp eye, how ordinary Iranians navigate their cramped collective existence in the years following the revolution.
Cast & crew
The ensemble is anchored by Akbar Abdi, whose flair for physical comedy and warm-hearted buffoonery made him one of Iranian cinema's most beloved comic actors. Ezzatolah Entezami, a titan of the stage and screen, grounds the film with natural authority. Faramarz Fardtombekian rounds out the main cast, contributing to the film's layered, multi-character rhythm that Mehrjui directs with precision.
Context & significance
Dariush Mehrjui occupies a singular place in Iranian filmmaking — the director of Gaav (The Cow, 1969), widely regarded as the first landmark of the Iranian New Wave, he continued making films that blend social critique with human empathy through decades of turbulent change. Ejarehneshinha arrived in the mid-1980s, during a period when Iranian comedy was finding new forms within post-revolution constraints. For the diaspora, the film carries strong nostalgia: the communal apartment block, the neighborhood dynamics, the mixture of generosity and pettiness — all feel like a letter from the Tehran most viewers left behind. It remains a touchstone of Persian comedic cinema.
Where & how to watch
Ejarehneshinha is available to watch on K-Time in its original Persian audio. Stream it on your TV, laptop, or phone — no VPN needed, no geo-blocking, and no extra download required. Cancel anytime.