The Cycle

The Cycle (, Dayereh-ye Mina, also as Dāyere-ye Minā) is a 1975 Iranian drama film directed and written by Dariush Mehrjui. It is about a young man who is trying to get money to pay for his ailing father's medical treatments and gets sucked into life on the margins of society, exploiting other poor and marginalized people for their blood. The film stars Saeed Kangarani, Ezzatollah Entezami, Ali Nassirian and Forouzan. After years of being banned, the film was released in Iran on April 12, 1978. It was Iran's submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the 50th Academy Awards, the first year that Iran participated in the award. Plot A young man named Ali living along with his family in the suburbs of Tehran, takes his diseased father, Esmail, to a large hospital, but is unable to pay for Esmail's reception and spends a few days outside until he meets Doctor Sameri. Esmail requests Sameri's help; and the latter arranges a location for them. They arrive and Sameri tells them to enter a truck containing a few other people. Ali and Esmail keep asking questions, but do not get answers. They arrive at a laboratory where people's blood is bought. Esmail refuses, but Ali sells some blood in exchange for 20 tomans. Sameri is revealed to be a blood dealer buying the blood of the poor and the addicted with little money and selling it to hospitals. During the time at the hospital with Esmail, Ali meets a young nurse named Zahra. Sameri convinces Ali to work for him and find blood sellers. Esmail's condition keeps getting worse until he dies. Ali continues progressing in his career and starts a new life.