Two Women (1999)

A sensation when released in 1999 in Iran, Two Women charts the lives of two promising architecture students over the course of the first turbulent years of the Islamic Republic. Tahimine ... See full summary »

Director:

Tahmineh Milani

Writer:

Tahmineh Milani

Stars:

Mohammad Reza Forutan, Niki Karimi, Reza Khandan

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Mohammad Reza Forutan	...	Hassan ('Maniac')
Niki Karimi	...	Fereshteh
Reza Khandan	...	Fereshteh's father
Atila Pesiani	...	Ahmad
Merila Zare'i	...	Roya

Storyline

A sensation when released in 1999 in Iran, Two Women charts the lives of two promising architecture students over the course of the first turbulent years of the Islamic Republic. Tahimine Milani creates this scathing portrait of those traditions - aided by official indifference - which conspire to trap women and stop them from realizing their full potential; the inclusion of frank depictions of domestic violence was hailed by many as a breakthrough in dealing with a long taboo subject.

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Plot Keywords:

architecture student | student | iran | marriage | jail | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Iran

Language:

Persian

Release Date:

3 March 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Do zan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arman Film, Arta Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

It's not easy being a woman in Iran

Two Women (1999), written and directed by Tahmineh Milani, is an Iranian film shown as part of the Alan Lutkus International Film Series at SUNY Geneseo. (Persian title "Do zan.")

This movie follows the lives of two women whom we first encounter when one of them calls the other because of a family crisis.

The film then flashes back to the friendship of the women during their university days. Niki Karimi plays Fereshteh, a brilliant student. Marila Zare'i is cast as Roya, an intelligent woman, but no intellectual match for Fereshteh.

As fate would have it, Roya achieves relative independence in her marriage and professional life in Teheran. Fereshteh is trapped in a stultifying existence in a rural area.

Anyone who has read "Reading Lolita in Teheran" knows about the almost unbelievable repression of women in present-day Iran. This film personalizes that experience, by showing us a bright, amiable, attractive woman crushed by the weight of a society that is totally dominated by men.

This movie is grim and disturbing. However, it's well acted, and portrays what I believe to be the reality of the status of women in a fundamentalist culture.

The film verges on old-fashioned melodrama at some points, especially near the end, but the acting is solid and, overall, this is a film worth seeking out and seeing.

(The Alan Lutkus International Film Series at SUNY Geneseo is presented by the Office of the Provost, several academic departments, and the IFS Committee.)