At first glance, Cause of Death: Unknown by Ali Zarnegar، seems to tell a straightforward story: seven passengers caught in the stillness of a night journey. Yet beneath this simple surface lies a powerful and unsettling exploration of social prejudice and the machinery of “othering.” When the passengers swiftly assume that the unidentified corpse belongs to an Afghan, the assumption is not a casual remark—it becomes the mechanism by which they establish a sense of superiority and even justify taking the victim’s possessions. The implication is stark: because the body belongs to a migrant “other,” his life and belongings carry less value, making exploitation seem permissible.
This prejudice collapses when it is revealed that the body actually belonged to a Baloch man. The twist is more than just a narrative device—it is a mirror held up to the audience, forcing us to confront uncomfortable questions: How many of us, in watching, echoed the same hasty judgment in our own minds?
Through a stripped-down realist language and minimalist design, the film transcends the trappings of a morality tale or a mystery. Instead, it delivers sharp social critique, exposing how ethnicity, migrant identity, or minority status can so easily be weaponized to strip a person of dignity, life, and rights. While firmly rooted in an Iranian context, the resonance is universal. From the U.S.–Mexico border to the Mediterranean crossings, from the plight of Syrian refugees to African migrants, the “other” is consistently the figure whose rights can be dismissed without hesitation.
The film’s formal rigor deepens its impact. The director demonstrates exacting control over tone and rhythm, while the ensemble cast delivers performances that amplify the realism with raw intensity. The cinematography, striking in its simplicity, shapes an austere yet eloquent visual language. Perhaps most crucially, the near-total absence of music intensifies the realism. In a year when many films leaned heavily on musical scores, lighting tricks, and elaborate sound design, this work achieves greater emotional weight by denying such devices. The silence sharpens the ethical unease and keeps the audience uncomfortably present.
Ultimately, Cause of Death: Unknown is not merely a story about an anonymous corpse—it is a universal reflection on migration, marginalization, and the collapse of moral boundaries. The final grief does not belong to the lifeless body but to the survivors, who are left with consciences fractured by prejudice, entitlement, and hasty judgment. In the death of the “unknown” traveler, they are forced to face a deeper truth: that it is not only the migrant who is lost, but also the humanity of those who abandoned him.
