In an Iranian culture that operates within strict social mores, Sara, a university student, and her boyfriend Hamed allow their youthful naïveté to get the best of them. Unexpectedly, Sara is injured and in need of surgery – but because the young couple have a secret to hide, none of the hospitals, whether public or private, that they visit will give Sara any more than the most rudimentary of help. As the night wears on, Sara’s medical requirements become more urgent, solutions become increasingly far-fetched, and the pair’s relationship teeters on the brink of collapse.

As the troubled couple at the centre of the film, first-time actors Sadaf Asgari and Amir Reza Ranjbaran shine in remarkably natural performances that capture all the awkwardness of early adulthood – somewhere between bewilderment and indignation – when faced with perhaps unfair social regulation. While director Ali Asgari’s film criticises to some extent the highly regimented and perhaps invasive nature of the Iranian state, it rather more pointedly questions the lack of compassion of individuals who hold authority within the system – whether they are following the rules or exploiting the need to break them. ‘Disappearance’ is an exploration of what hangs in the balance if bleakness overpowers hope.