Jafar Panahi

The film ends with Panahi taking his cues from another amateur, a fill-in custodian for his building. Panahi rides down the elevator with the young man while he collects trash, listening to him talk about his studies, which were interrupted by time in jail. When they reach the ground level, Panahi follows the young man to the gate, and on the street we can see a bonfire celebrating the New Year. “Don’t follow me out, or they’ll see you filming,” the young man says. That visibility would be a bridge too far.