The normally colourful room has been cloaked in black curtains. Gloomy lighting, which just about reaches through the misty atmosphere, reveals a sand-strewn stage buried bodies.

A quintet of women inhabit this sandy island. An older matriarch, her two young daughters and her daughter-in-law. The bodies are of her son and her grandson. The fifth woman seems to be the daughter-in-law's alter-ego or her conscience, who longs to escape from this island prison.

Not a huge amount happens in the hour-long production, and as no attempt has been made to slope the seats so the audience can see the stage properly, it is hard to make out what exactly is going on.

However, the Farsi dialogue is easy to understand in terms of its nuance – the literal meaning is projected above the stage, but the way the actresses deliver their lines says as much about their meaning.

Though the plot seems timeless, writer-director Attila Pessyani clearly sets it in modern times – the women listen to their i-Pods – and at the play's heart lies a reflection of Iran as it is today, trying to come to terms with the loss of its menfolk in war.

This is a thoroughly thought-provoking piece of work which deserves much better presentation than the EIF have given it.

• Run ends today