In the very literally titled A Band of Dreamers and a Judge, director Hesam Eslami takes us to the hills of Northern Iran. Here under cover of the night, bands of would-be treasure hunters take to illegally digging, looking for promised treasure of the pre-Islamic era. Enticing them are videos posted on Instagram of other diggers displaying their finds from behind Guy Fawkes masks. Hesam eventually focuses on one group, a quartet of would-be thieves looking for a better life. Meanwhile, on the other side of debate, is a no nonsense judge and her warrant officers who spend nights scouring the hills looking to make arrests and present suspects in front of her

A Band of Dreamers and a Judge comes off almost as long winded as its title, but with much less focus. In fact, every time we steer away from the main quartet of diggers, it seems to lose its way. For their part, the main four are more lovable scoundrel types, think more Ocean’s 11 than, say, Michael Mann’s crew in Heat. Hesam takes us past the surface with this crew. It’s to  the point where by the end of the film, the authorities are convinced the film is all an act and he has actively been digging with them.

Again, the film steps away from the crew of treasure hunters, giving it its meandering results. The warrant officers under the employ of the Judge exist mainly for laughs, stereotypically painting them almost like Iranian versions of Cletus and Roscoe from the The Dukes of Hazzard.  And the Judge herself is portrayed to have predetermined opinions from the start. Perhaps more level and complete pictures of the other side of the story may have actually fleshed out the entire picture better.