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THE DAY I BECAME A WOMAN Send This Review to a Friend
The fate of women in contemporary Iran is the volatile subject in this important, compelling new film from that restrictive country. Showcased at the 2001 New Directors/New Films series of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Museum of modern Art, "The Day I Became a Woman" consists of three related parts, two extremely sad and one colorfully whimsical. It merits a strong recommendation both for its creativity and its message.
Directed by Marzieh Meshkini from a screenplay by Mohsen Makhmalbaf, this unusual trio of episodes begins with the day a girl (Fatemeh Cheragh Akhtar) is turning nine years old. That is the point at which her mother and grandmother will make her don a chador and she no longer will be allowed to play with boys. As her birth didn't occur until noon, she can still play with her childhood friend that morning. The pathos of children being subjected to such denial is made clear through the simplicity of the girl's wishes and loyalty and her desperation to get in the last moments of her about-to-be severed innocent relationship. It is a story that can tear at your heart.
The second episode concerns the insistence of a young woman (Shabnam Toloui) on participating in a women's bike race against the wishes of her husband and family. The story is in constant motion as her husband, brothers and villagers ride on their horses alongside the race to demand that she follow their wishes and return to her place as an obedient woman or be divorced. The spirit of revolt against the odds charges this segment with passion and purpose.
The third portion thrives on Fellini-style imagination. An elderly woman returning from a trip decides to use her money to buy all the things she never was able to have in her life. With an entourage of young helpers whom she enlists at the airport, she makes the rounds of the shopping centers to acquire such items as a refrigerator, vacuum cleaner, a large bed, assorted furniture, clothing--everything her heart desires--and she amasses it all on a beach. During her brief absence, her young aides marvel at the collection, and with no electrical outlets in sight, they nevertheless busy themselves with working the appliances. It is a glorious topper of a tale with Azizeh Seddighi wonderful as the sprightly lady who is making up for her years as a less liberated woman.
This welcome film is yet another reason for paying attention to the currents in Iranian cinema as well as seeing it for the pleasure of its conception and artistry. A Shooting Gallery release as part of its special series.
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