Both the photography and scenery of this film were beautifully composed. It represented a very hard and interesting approach to the Islamic life, tradition, and culture. Even though I have had Muslim friends, I could never get a realistic sense of their feelings towards their religion and family dynamic and cultural hierarchy. In fact, every time I see Islamic women on the streets, I wonder what is underneath their hijab, what goes on in their minds, and if their lives are as terribly repressed by men as I imagine them to be. Thus, it is eye opening to see films and artistic projects made by women that have come out of such male dominated culture and are meant to denounce a reality that many are oblivious about.
It was especially sad to see that no matter the different stratus of society, women are always subject to abuse and inferiority. I thought it was really interesting that they decided to show issues with anorexia and self-mutilation in the film. We are used to see this kind of issues as issues exclusively related to the western young females who are concerned about their weight. However, this kind of coping strategies are usually the result of a need for control over something in their lives. It was great to see this kind of similarity and relation between two very different cultures which, after all, deal with problem in similar ways. This woman who had become a prostitute, periodically raped by men could cope with her terrible conditions with the only thing she had control over: her body.
I cannot deny that I was extremely confused by the non-lineal and fantastic characteristics of the film. I was puzzled about what was real and what was the result of someone’s imagination and psyche. Nevertheless, after having let the film settle in my mind, the story became much more coherent. However, I am sure I missed the meaning of many things and symbols that only somebody who truly knows about Islamic culture and countries can catch. For example, if it wasn’t for Granaz Moussavi, I would have never known that the movie was filmed in Morocco because the director is not allowed into Iran.
No comments:
Post a Comment