starts out to be one thing and winds up another, and that twist falls into the realm of horror film clichés, only they take place in Iran.

“Remainder,” directed by Omer Fast, is a convoluted film that keeps up interest in flitting from present to past and back and establishing a mystery that deepens as it progresses, although the ending is on the far-fetched side.

The film, based on a novel by Tom McCarthy, begins with a thud, literally. In London a chunk of a building falls on the head of a young man played by Tom Sturridge. One would think he had to be dead, but no, he survives and gets a bundle of cash as a settlement.

But his memory is shot. He has no recollection of what happened,including where he was headed at the time. He sets out to learn the truth. We noticed a mystery woman early on, and what was taking place at the moment he was hit is for us to discover as well as for him to learn.

Thus the film plays with memory, and teases us into its revelations. Fast structures it well, and little by little there is enlightenment about the intrigue that was under way when the protagonist got clobbered.

There were portions of one film that gave me particular pleasure. They occurred in “Kaili Blues,” a film from China directed by Bi Gan. Although the plot is no great shakes, it did involve moving along stretches of countryside roads that offered a picture of what natural beauty exists Guishou