Sufism As the Hidden Text of Hamoun

Persian literature, especially Sufi literature, as a mirror of human thought and behavior, functions as the source of a lot of seven arts, specifically cinema. Dariush Mehrjui, as an Iranian filmmaker, has been able to establish a new philosophical thinking in cinema. Although cinema is an imported product and is not that much old in this ancient land, the precious heritage of Iranian Sufism, which is a symbol of our rites and traditions, can be considered one of its main sources. Although some of the people well educated in cinema have a certain opinion about its origin and find its roots in the Western world, there are filmmakers who are familiar with artistic and human concepts and who are not intimidated by the West, but are trying to give their art a local color. Dariush Mehrjuim, the Iranian filmmaker who has studied philosoiphy in the West, has been the founder of a new way of thinking in cinema. In this research, we have adopted content analysis and an intertextual approach to explore Sufism, as the hidden layer of the film called Hamoun, through symbols and signs. Finally, we came to the conclusion that modern man needs to pay attention to his past traditions and customs to acquire deeper knowledge and know himself. Therefore, Mehrjui finds common ground between Iranian Sufism and Western philosophy, especially some of the key principles of existentialism, which considers pragmatism and human agency very important to achieve excellence and a better. Similarly, Sufism emphasizes special human capacities and following a path based on one’s own abilities, to reach true happiness and perfection.