Director: Payam Eskandari
Cast: Hossein Eskandari, Shahab Hosseini
Nargesi is a 2024 Iranian drama film directed by Payam Eskandari, telling the story of Hossein, a young man with Down syndrome whose deepest longing is to find love and share his life with someone. Running 93 minutes, the film approaches its subject with rare warmth and sincerity.
What is Nargesi Full about?
Hossein carries one wish above all others: to fall in love and marry. Living with Down syndrome in contemporary Iran, he faces a world that rarely makes room for his desires. He throws himself into pursuit of that dream with wholehearted determination, refusing to accept that his condition should define the limits of his life. His path is marked by small victories, setbacks, and the indifference of those around him — until an unexpected turn arrives in the form of a gift that reshapes everything he thought he knew about his place in the world. The film holds back the details of what that gift is and what it sets in motion, letting the emotional weight build quietly toward its resolution.
Cast & crew
The film is directed by Payam Eskandari, who also shares family roots with lead actor Hossein Eskandari, whose performance as the title-adjacent protagonist carries the film's emotional core with authenticity and openness. Shahab Hosseini, one of Iranian cinema's most internationally recognised faces — known for his work in acclaimed Persian-language productions — brings depth and credibility to the supporting cast.
Context & significance
Iranian cinema has a long tradition of humanist dramas that place marginalized or overlooked individuals at the center of the frame — a lineage stretching from the social realism of the 1990s and 2000s through to films that have traveled to international festivals. Nargesi belongs to that current: it treats a character with Down syndrome not as a metaphor or as an object of pity, but as a man with genuine desires and the right to pursue them. For diaspora viewers, this kind of story resonates especially sharply — the struggle to be seen, to belong, and to have your longing taken seriously is one that crosses borders. The film's quiet insistence on dignity over spectacle gives it lasting weight.
Where & how to watch
Nargesi is available on K-Time with Persian dubbing. Watch on the web at ktime.app, on your Android TV, or on your phone — no geo-blocking, no VPN required. Sign up and cancel anytime.