Life is not how one chooses it to be, it's how it comes. Through an unspoken rule, any Cuban who leaves the country illegally loses residency rights and the ability to return home for a minimum of five years. Made under the auspices of renowned Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami, (Five Years) tells the story of a young father's desperate final hours with his family preceding his illegal departure from Cuba, and the sacrifice they make for an unknown future.