Shirin Neshat provides a remarkably sensitive view of what young women faced in the Islamic world of 1950’s Tehran. The outstanding beauty and expansiveness of the landscape is juxtaposed with the confined and controlled world of women and indeed that of anyone who tries to oppose those in power. The stories of five Islamic women from very different realities in Tehran are woven together to provide a unique insight into the oppressive lives they have to contend with.

This is a courageous story to tell in light of the great plight of women today in similar circumstances in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.  These women are poignant reminders of the fragility of freedom enjoyed elsewhere. Set against the period of the American and British backed coup that saw the elected Prime Minister Mohammad Masadegh replaced by the Shah, each woman desperately strives to gain her own personal freedom. The film is powerful and instills a great deal of understanding in the mind and heart of the viewer of the current conflicts and their magnitude.

This film will resonate with the viewer long after it has ended, a phenomenal first feature film.

Moira Romano