Gaav | فیلم گاو

Gaav :  فیلم گاو : (The Cow) is an Iranian film directed by Dariush Mehrjui and written by Dariush Mehrjui and Gholam-Hossein Saedi. It was released in 1969. The film is based on the story "Gav" from the book "Azadaran-e Bayal" written by Gholam-Hossein Saedi. The main cast includes Ali Nassirian, Ezzatollah Entezami, Jamshid Mashayekhi, and Parviz Fannizadeh.

"Gav" marked a new wave in Iranian cinema and was one of the first Iranian films to gain attention and acclaim in the West and Europe. It won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 1971 Venice Film Festival. The film was presented at various international film festivals, including Cannes, Berlin, Moscow, London, Los Angeles, and others. In subsequent years, a restored version of "Gav" was screened at the Il Cinema Ritrovato festival in Italy, the Austrian Film Museum, and Cinema Reflex in France.

The storyline revolves around Mash Hassan, a man living in a village, whose only hope in life is his cow. The cow not only provides for his family but also benefits the villagers. When Mash Hassan goes to the city, the cow dies under mysterious circumstances. The villagers, along with Mash Hassan's wife, decide to bury the cow in their yard and pretend that it ran away. Upon Mash Hassan's return, he refuses to believe that his cow is dead and becomes convinced that the cow is alive. Despite the efforts of the villagers and elders to convince him otherwise, Mash Hassan's belief transforms him, and he starts thinking of himself as the cow. The elders decide to take him to the city for treatment, but Mash Hassan escapes and tragically dies in a valley.