New York Release May 14th,
2010
Quad Cinema
2010
Quad Cinema
Shirin
Neshat
Written by: Shirin Neshat and Shoja Azari
Starring: Pegah Ferydoni, Arita Shahrzad, Shabnam Tolouei, and
Orsi Tóth
Release Date: April 9, 2010 (LA); April 30 (Washington D.C.); May
14th, (NYC); further expansion
Running Time: 99 minutes
Rating: Not yet rated
Website: www.womenwithoutmenfilm.com <http://www.womenwithoutmenfilm.com/>;
WOMEN WITHOUT MEN, an adaptation of Shahrnush Parsipur’s magic realist
novel of the same name, is Iranian artist Shirin Neshat’s first feature
length film. The story chronicles the intertwining lives of four Iranian
women during the summer of 1953; a cataclysmic moment in Iranian
history when an American led, British backed coup d’état brought down
the democratically elected Prime Minister, Mohammad Mossadegh, and
reinstalled the Shah to power.
Over the course of several days four disparate women from Iranian
society are brought together against the backdrop of political and
social turmoil. Fakhri, a middle aged woman trapped in a loveless
marriage must contend with her feelings for an old flame who has just
returned from America and walked back into her life. Zarin, a young
prostitute, tries to escape the devastating realization that she can no
longer see the faces of men. Munis, a politically awakened young woman,
must resist the seclusion imposed on her by her religiously traditional
brother, while her friend Faezeh remains oblivious to the turmoil in the
streets and longs only to marry Munis’ domineering brother.
As the political turmoil swells in the streets of Tehran, each woman
seeks to be liberated from her predicament. Munis becomes an active part
of the political struggle by following a young communist who she
believes can restore her faith in the world. Fakhri frees herself from
the chains of her stagnant marriage by leaving her husband and
purchasing a mystical orchard in the outskirts of the city. Faezeh is
taken to the orchard by Munis to face her own awakened self after her
innocence is stolen, while Zarin attempts to find solace in her newfound
communion with the land. But it is only a matter of time before the
world outside the walls of the orchard seep into the lives of these four
women as their country’s history takes a tragic turn.
