When most of us approach an Iranian film,
I think we bring a certain knowledge about the film industry that adds another
level of awareness to viewing that film. Filmmaking in Iran can be dangerous
to the director and the actors. Censorship can be harsh and the penalty for
diverging from it even harsher. A script has to first be approved by the
censors before shooting can begin. Often changes are demanded. Checks are
made along the way. The final film has to be approved once again and changes
made. No criticism is allowed of the government, the religion and the power
structure.
I am a little surprised that this film made
it through the process as it is. It may seem harmless to many, but there
is a strong underlying current of feminism here and at times a real sharp
jab at the male patriarchy. It is written and directed by a male, Nasser
Refaie, but he seems to have spent a lot of time listening to women. Nearly,
the entire cast are females, all dressed in black with their head covered.
But they are a lively lot and good fun to overhear. It is entrance exam day at a woman's university
and the whole film of 80 minutes plays out as a large group of women wait
outside for the doors to open. There must be over 60 women in the cast. And
many of those had speaking lines. The camera trawls the courtyard and outside
the gate catching snatches of conversations, small dramas, jokes, concerns.
Within seconds, the director gives them a personality. Cliques of friends
or individuals. Some married, some wanting to marry and some not.
One is wearing fashionable sunglasses because
of a black eye her husband gave her. One is with her baby waiting for her
husband to pick it up; he never does. One is married to a man she has never
met. One husband is outside trying to get in to drag his wife out. Another
husband hits on his wife's friends as she looks on in humiliation. A mother
of one of the students, sees a girl that she thinks will be perfect for her
son and approaches her for her phone number. But there are also many light
moments and levity. In the end as they all march into the school, some of
these dramas have been resolved; some not.I would love to know how this was filmed. Was
it all thoroughly rehearsed and then shot in one day or is this multiple
days of shooting effortlessly edited together. I have seen a few reviews
saying that it is very hard for a female to go to university in Iran. Maybe
once, but the majority of university graduates are now female. A really interesting
film with many glimpses into the society.
