This feature debut from artist Shirin Neshat is based on the controversial novel by Shahrnoush Parsipour. The narrative interweaves the lives of four Iranian women in the summer of 1953 - a pivotal moment in Iranian history during an American-led coup d’état. Farrokhlagha leaves her marriage after a rebel artist/former lover returns from America. Munis is a wannabe political activist who longs to be free of her domineering brother, whilst Zarin is a prostitute who is tormented by the faces of men.
This powerful and poignant work, superlative in its execution of mood and tone, shows that Neshat is deserving of her Venice Silver Lion for Best Direction.
