Women Without Men – 8

Far and away the most beautiful movie I have seen, or probably will see, this year, Shirin Neshat’s study of Iran in 1953 packed a social and political wallop as well. The liner notes and the director’s dialogue explained much that I would have missed, notably America’s role in overthrowing democracy in Iran 50 years before we purport to be demanding it there, and the analogy between the man’s role in the family and the dictator’s role in the country. Of the women without men, two existed in the real world, two in a world of magic realism, but their experiences were similar and taken together they encompassed a large swath of Iranian society, from the prostitute to the aristocrat, from traditional to cosmopolitan. This was a movie to think about, and talk about, after the screening, and Neshat’s images, especially the woman Musin on the rooftop, are indelible.

0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *