A little while ago I saw Women Without Men (2009) which is an excellent independent movie (by Shirin Neshat) and one of the few I’ve seen that attempts to show few angles from the 1950s era in Iran. This movie is not yet released on Netflix but you can “Save” it for future. It’ll probably come out in DVD in November or December. Here’s a trailer but as usual I recommend you see the movie instead of the trailers.
This is a movie that follows five women who lived in that time who end up in a party in an orchard garden. Some of the scenes surrounding the street protests and the placards that people carried seemed a little studio like (some movies made outside Iran have this issue) and thus the reason for my 3.75 stars otherwise I’d definitely recommend this film as a must see. It is very well played and directed.
For one thing it shows some boobs! Of course they’re not show boobs and they’re not the reason for recommending the movie but of all the clips we’ve seen here on i.com or elsewhere on youtube from all the 70s Iranian movies, none show boobs! Unlike movies made in Islamic Republic (regardless of the time and place) no headscarves for ALL women either since many didn’t wear it.
1950s was a volatile time in Iran which ended up with the American and British backed 1953 coup d’état against the Prime Minister Dr. Mossadegh’s government. For all the talks and discussions that we see and read on this website about the events in those days and people tearing their collars for their political views, many have never known or met a Toudeh Party or National Front supporter in person.
It’s all about what they’ve read which makes them think they’re the authority on all subjects Mossadegh! We even have a resident commentator here whose mission in life (in i.com 🙂 is to “discredit” any and all positive things said about Mossadegh no matter what historians have already written and what positive image he had and continues to have in public.
So this movie is a chance to see some of the political views and the people who would come to represent them. It’s about life in that timeframe. It’s also a good movie to share with the younger Iranians who were raised in the West and hear a lot about that time, or young Iranians for that matter since this movie will definitely find its way to Iran too. The arts and costumes were very good and real and seemed the producers went to great pain to reflect what people wore, how they lived or felt during that time. It is in Farsi with English subtitles.
I especially liked the credit at the end when they dedicated this film to all who fought for democracy and freedom in Iran from the 1905 constitutional revolution to the aftermath of the presidential elections of 2009.
