Director: Salem Salavati
Cast: Alireza Sanifar, Hedayat Hashemi, Gelareh Abassi, Mahshid Naseri, Keivan Parmar
Pedaran (Fathers) is a 2020 Iranian drama film directed by Salem Salavati, exploring the devastating collision between two families after a fatal traffic accident tears through their lives. At 86 minutes, this quiet yet emotionally charged film examines guilt, grief, and the weight parents carry for the choices of their children.
What is Pedaran about?
A late-night crash leaves one young man dead and another severely injured. When investigators establish that the surviving driver was under the influence of drugs, the accident transforms into something far more complicated — a collision of conscience, blame, and grief. Two families, strangers before that night, are suddenly forced to stand on opposite sides of a tragedy neither could have anticipated. As legal proceedings and raw emotion pull each household apart, the fathers of both young men find themselves navigating the impossible distance between justice and forgiveness. The film unfolds with restraint, allowing tension to surface through family dynamics, unspoken accusation, and the quiet anguish of parents who feel responsible for who their children became.
Cast & crew
The film is directed by Salem Salavati and features a strong ensemble rooted in Iranian dramatic tradition. Alireza Sanifar and Hedayat Hashemi anchor the production as the two fathers at the heart of the conflict. Gelareh Abassi, Mahshid Naseri, and Keivan Parmar bring depth to the surrounding family members, while Mahdokht Molaei, Navid Layeghi, and Sarina Taraghi round out the cast.
Context & significance
Iranian family dramas have long used the framework of accident and accountability to examine how private grief intersects with a rigid legal and social order. Pedaran fits this tradition closely — the title itself, meaning 'Fathers,' signals that the film is less about the young men involved and more about the generation that raised them. For diaspora audiences, this kind of story carries a particular resonance: the fear of raising children in conditions beyond your control, the shame that attaches to family when a child makes a catastrophic mistake, and the impossibility of bridging sorrow with an opposing family experiencing the same devastation from a different angle.
Where & how to watch
Pedaran is available to stream on K-Time in its original Persian audio. Watch on the web, your TV, or your phone — no extra download or VPN needed. Subscribe once and cancel anytime.