Ashghalhaye Doost Dashtani : آشغالهای دوستداشتنی : is set against the backdrop of the specific events surrounding the 2009 Iranian elections. The story unfolds in the home of an elderly woman living with her middle-aged cousin, Sima. One day, following the elections, as opposition protests fill the streets of Tehran, a group of demonstrators fleeing security forces takes refuge in the old woman's house. After they leave, the woman notices a mark on her door. Based on the rumors circulating at the time, she is warned that authorities might search her house in the coming days. Concerned, she is advised to remove any suspicious or problematic items from her home to avoid trouble, setting the stage for the unfolding drama.
In the elderly woman's home, four framed photos of men hang on the wall. The largest photo is of her husband, a supporter of Mossadegh who encountered trouble during the 1953 coup. Despite initially supporting the monarchy, he later goes on a pilgrimage to Mecca after the revolution, leading to a change in his behavior. The second photo is of her eldest son, who was martyred during the Iran-Iraq War. The third frame belongs to her brother, a member of a communist group who was executed during the political purges of the 1980s. The fourth picture is of her youngest son, a graduate living abroad.
The story progresses through an imaginary conversation between the old woman and these four men on a night when she fears the authorities might come for her the next day.
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