Women without Men

I try to see all Iranian films because I learn a great deal. I think that Shirin Neshat is extremely talented and very courageous. She was selected as the best Director at the Venice Film festival.

A few minutes into the film and I realized that I had already seen this film at the Toronto Film Festival. It didn’t matter I was happy to see it again.

We meet four different women who all live unhappy lives in Iran. The time is around 1953 and the Shah is trying to get back in power in Tehran. There are angry factions of those supporting the Shah and others trying to support the military government in power. The historical aspect was fascinating and provided a background for the sad women who are the main characters.

One young girl is being forced to marry someone her brother has chosen. Her brother is autocratic and unfeeling.

One woman is married to a general but he does not fulfill her needs. She is smitten with a former lover. He introduces her to poets, actors and politicians. She leaves her husband and purchases a country estate. She tries to live a more fulfilling life in her country home.

A young prostitute runs away from her employer and ends up at the country house with the general’s wife who treats her well and nurses her but her problems are overwhelming.

Another young woman becomes involved with a political action group that meets secretly and tries to overthrow the current government. It is so upsetting when the militia crack down and arrest many from this group.

One woman states, “The only freedom from pain is to leave this world.”

I was intrigued to see that the general’s wife wore regular clothes and didn’t cover her head. I was expecting trouble when she left him but that didn’t seem to be a problem. She was in contrast to the other women who covered their head when they went into the street.

There are some beautiful camera shots of the terrain. They are in such contrast to the turmoil in the women’s lives. We see a brook and rippling water. The leaves on the shrubs glisten in the sun. It all appears so tranquil but we know that under the surface these women are suffering a mentally horrible life.

This young director has a future ahead of her. I hope she continues to direct more films on this topic.