From the Collection: The Runner

Amir Naderi’s 1984 film The Runner is the latest film to enter the Criterion Collection. 

Inspired by director Amir Naderi’s own boyhood, The Runner is lit from within by Madjid Niroumand’s electrifying performance as a young orphan fending for himself on the streets of a port city, determined to rise above his circumstances—working odd jobs, passing time with friends, learning to read—and running, always running, toward the future. Water, fire, the human body in motion: in hypnotic images of lyrical power, Naderi finds unexpected glory in the world of a boy suspended between modernity and elemental natural forces as he chases his own path forward.

Here’s what the disc includes:

• New 2K digital restoration, supervised by director Amir Naderi, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
• New conversation between Naderi and filmmaker Ramin Bahrani
• Audio interview from 2022 with Naderi and actor Madjid Niroumand, moderated by programmer and Rialto Pictures founder Bruce Goldstein
• Waiting, a 1974 film by Naderi, featuring an afterword by the director
• Trailer
• New English subtitle translation
• PLUS: An essay by critic Ehsan Khoshbakht

The Runner is why the Criterion Collection is a vital part of cinema history. This is not a movie you can stream anywhere, and I doubt a lot of American filmgoers have even heard of the film. Before viewing the disc, I had not heard of the film, which is why it intrigued me. Of all of Criterion’s March releases, this one seemed the most interesting and the one that was hardest to watch. Without a company like Criterion, who knows if I would have ever been able to see this movie in any capacity?

The Runner is an extraordinary slice-of-life film. A key film in post-Revolutionary Iran cinema, this is a beautiful, thrilling look at the day-by-day life of an orphan roaming an Iranian port town. Madjid Niroumand gives an unbelievable performance as our orphan Amiro. He’s in nearly every frame of this movie and gives one of the greatest child performances I have ever seen. Amiro lives his life like an adult, working and hustling odd jobs throughout the day time while also keeping the spirit of a child by playing games with his friends, obsessing over planes, and wanting to learn how to read and write. His adventures are equally exciting as they are tense. The Runner is a captivating watch from beginning to end and it all rests on the shoulders of Niroumand.

The 2k restoration is crisp and clean and makes the setting and costumes pop off the screen. The Runner feels like you are watching a documentary, but what it ends up being is a beautiful and authentic portrait of life in Iran. I’m so glad I was able to watch this and everyone should seek this one out.

You can buy the Criterion edition of The Runner at the Criterion website or anywhere Criterion Collection movies are sold.

More From the Collection

Imitation of Life

Three Colors Trilogy

Last Hurrah for Chivilary

The Fisher King

Targets

One False Move

Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams

Drylongso

From the Collection is an analysis piece of non-new-release movies, whether seen on DVD, streaming, or in a theater, and includes a brief history of the film, a review of the film, and content about the experience of seeing the film and/or the contents of the film’s DVD.