Jafar Panahi faces restrictions preventing him from leaving Iran, so he’s attempting to film in Turkey. To manage this, he relocates to a village close to the border, an area where communication is unreliable. With assistance from his accommodating host, Ghanbar (Vahid Mobaseri), he attempts to proceed with his project. The village seems welcoming at first, but when he takes—or doesn't take—a picture of a young couple, he becomes entangled in a worsening dispute between two young men and their families, connected by a tradition where a girl’s betrothal is decided from birth. His difficulties are compounded by problems involving the two leads of his documentary-style film – a real-life couple seeking a safe passage to Paris. A subtle feeling of threat emerges as the story unfolds; though there's little concrete proof, it's apparent that this filmmaker isn’t entirely welcome, despite assurances from the villagers, creating an impression that authorities are observing him from afar. There’s definitely a sense of intimidation present! It’s also evident that these everyday Iranian people live with apprehension regarding the police and the Revolutionary Guard, which seems contradictory to their generally peaceful and hospitable nature. While Panahi's minimalist approach might appeal to some viewers, I personally found it slow-paced. He moves about without much dialogue to establish his character or capture my attention. It’s obviously a story concerning freedom and an underlying form of oppression, but the characters didn't fully develop that theme, nor did they truly connect with me. The conclusion is also unsatisfactory—it feels both incomplete and anticlimactic, leaving me rather unimpressed. The film does provide a glimpse into rural life that likely hasn’t changed for thousands of years; however, I felt like an observer with insufficient information to become involved. It seems the story relies too heavily on viewers' familiarity with this director and his situation with the government.

Source on TMDB