Tara Aghdashloo’s ‘Empty Your Pockets’ walks the tightrope between comedy and drama with remarkable skill. Set in an Iranian airport’s baggage security, the film delivers an intimate portrait of Hassan (Kiarash Dadgar), a conflicted customs officer torn between his obligations as a dutiful son and the dehumanizing demands of his job.

Hassan, burdened by the need for an early paycheck to afford his ailing mother’s (Farshideh Nasrin) medication, is caught in a web of mounting pressure. His superiors demand perfection, his coworkers exhibit a callousness he struggles to emulate, and the endless procession of peculiar items passing through his scanner provides a darkly comedic, yet absurd, backdrop to his internal turmoil. Dadgar’s understated but deeply expressive performance brings Hassan to life as a man whose gentle nature feels increasingly at odds with the cold, bureaucratic world he inhabits.

Aghdashloo’s script is sharp, bringing moments of levity into a story that’s as heartfelt as it is poignant. The film never feels heavy-handed; it invites us to observe Hassan’s life through a fly-on-the-wall lens, thanks to Farhad Ghader’s expert cinematography. The visuals are polished yet intimate, with naturalistic lighting and grading that lend authenticity to every frame. Whether capturing the sterile efficiency of the baggage check area or the tender moments Hassan shares with his mother, the film’s aesthetic feels simultaneously cinematic and raw.

The editing is seamless, and the musical score perfectly complements the film’s tonal shifts, enhancing both its comedic beats and its more heartbreaking moments. As the story unfolds, we can’t help but feel the weight of Hassan’s dilemma – his devotion to his mother stands in stark contrast to the soul-crushing monotony of his job, and it’s this tension that makes ‘Empty Your Pockets’ so compelling. Highly recommended viewing.