first time feature film director and writer maryam keshavarz falls right into place amidst a new crop of iranian filmmakers and movies depicting youth culture under iran's current repressive regime. keshavarz digs into the underbelly of the current state of affairs in iran, where 70% of iran's population of 70 million is under the age of 30.
the movie centers around two 16 year-old friends, atafeh and shireen, as they struggle with both internal and external cultural repression and sexual forces. it depicts iran, and young iranians, in a way seldom seen in cinema and for that reason alone i felt the film and it's characters compelling and moving. the plot stumbles and trips up with numerous narrative holes and miscalculations and by the end of the film, some questions are never answered, but as a whole, it's a brave, beautifully shot film with one of the best soundtracks i've heard in years.
so forgive some of the missing pieces in the storyline and go see the movie when it is released nationwide next week - the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
happy weekend trails.
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