Introduction

Cinema, as the most popular form of art among different segments of society, has always been one of the significant arenas for representing social issues. During the past two decades, the rapid pace of cultural, political, and economic changes has given particular importance to the concept of hope at both the individual and social levels. This issue is especially significant in relation to young people because of their prominent role in the progress and development of society.

This study examines the construction of hope and despair in the young characters of Parviz Shahbazi’s works. It focuses on the films Deep Breath (2002) and Trapped (2013), which are selected from Shahbazi’s cinematic works for comparative analysis. The study investigates how hope is represented in the characters’ lives and how social and individual conditions contribute to the strengthening or weakening of hope. It also considers the relationship between individual and social hope and examines the factors associated with the emergence of despair, aimlessness, lack of motivation, and the absence of positive emotional engagement.

The theoretical framework of the study includes the theoretical foundations of individual and social hope and their reciprocal relationship. It also draws on Snyder’s theory of hope. In this theory, hope is based on goal-oriented thinking and includes two main components: pathway thinking, referring to the ability to plan ways of reaching goals, and agency thinking, referring to the motivation and will to use those pathways.

Methods

The study adopts a qualitative research method and uses thematic analysis and comparative analysis within the representation approach in the sociology of art. The research population consists of the cinematic works of Parviz Shahbazi. The selected sample includes the feature films Deep Breath and Trapped. These films are analyzed because they represent young characters whose experiences provide material for examining hope, despair, personal goals, social conditions, and the consequences of individual choices.

The unit of analysis consists of the young characters in the films, their personal and behavioral characteristics, and the themes related to the representation of hope and despair. The analysis examines the characters’ behavior, emotional conditions, social relationships, ability to set goals, and ability to pursue pathways toward those goals. It also considers the social and cultural factors associated with the characters’ conditions.

Findings

The findings show that hope and despair in the two films are represented through characters’ goals, emotional states, social relationships, sense of control, and ability to imagine and pursue a meaningful future.

In Deep Breath, Kamran is initially characterized by absolute despair. His condition is reflected in aimlessness, neglect of physical health, lack of positive emotionality, social withdrawal, and depression. His despair is mainly caused by generational gap and weak relationship with his family, weak religious commitment, anomic conditions, and failure to find meaning in life. His condition does not change during the narrative, and his death in a car accident confirms the absence of any positive transformation. Mansour begins in a state of despair, manifested through aimlessness, reduced positive emotionality, and antisocial behavior. His financial difficulties, weak socioeconomic position, limited social capital, weak religious commitment, and anomic circumstances restrict his ability to establish goals and pursue hopeful pathways. Meeting Aida gives him a new goal and temporarily increases his hope. However, this hope remains unstable and ends tragically with his death in a car accident. In contrast, Aida begins with a high level of hope. Her hope is demonstrated through the pursuit of difficult goals, social interaction, positive emotions, satisfaction with life, and a sense of control. Her relationship with Mansour and the emergence of a new goal further strengthens her hope, although her death reveals the fragility of individual hope.

In Trapped, Nazanin also begins with a high level of hope. Her hopeful condition is reflected in academic ambition, positive emotionality, the ability to minimize difficulties, and a sense of control. Her healthy relationship with her parents and her religious and ethical commitments support this outlook. However, separation from her family, living with Sahar, and a series of mistaken decisions weaken her initial hope; nevertheless, she does not surrender and continues to try to improve her circumstances. Sahar is initially despairing because of aimlessness, weak socioeconomic conditions, anomie, lack of identity, and limited social capital. Her failure to migrate and subsequent illness intensify her despair. Finally, Farid is characterized by absolute despair, like Kamran, despite his financial security. Family conflict, weak religious commitment, anomie, and lack of meaning shape his condition. Farid’s story also ends in death. Although his meeting with Nazanin creates a glimmer of hope, her lack of trust prevents this hope from developing into a meaningful or lasting path forward.

Conclusion

The study indicates that most young characters in the analyzed works exhibit a low level of hopeful thinking. Aimlessness, lack of motivation, and the absence of positive emotional engagement are the most common features manifested in hopeless characters. Various factors are identified as causes of diminished hope among young characters, the most significant of which include financial incapability, weak socio-economic status, and anomie or the alienation resulting from detachment from the accepted norms and values of society.