Itinerant Kurdish teachers, carrying blackboards on their backs, look for students in the hills and villages of Iran, near the Iraqi border during the Iran-Iraq war. Said falls in with a group of old men looking for their bombed-out village; he offers to guide them, and takes as his wife Halaleh, the clan's lone woman, a widow with a young son. Reeboir attaches himself to a dozen pre-teen boys weighed down by contraband they carry across the border; they're mules, always on the move. Said and Reeboir try to teach as their potential students keep walking. Danger is close; armed soldiers patrol the skies, the roads, and the border. Is there a role for a teacher? Is there hope?
There's no denying the strength of these simple images, and the bleak message of learning to sort out your real priorities in times of strife.
– Peter Howell,
Toronto Star,
17 Jan 2003
fresh:
A heartening tale of small victories and enduring hope.
– Carla Meyer,
San Francisco Chronicle,
24 Jan 2003
rotten:
Reeboir varies between a sweet smile and an angry bark, while Said attempts to wear down possible pupils through repetition. It has no affect on the Kurds, but it wore me down.
– Erik Lundegaard,
Seattle Times,
31 Jan 2003
fresh:
When I first saw Blackboards three years ago I was surprised as well as puzzled that in some ways it reminded me of John Ford's 1950 western Wagon Master.