Zir-e poost-e shahr (2001)

Tuba works daily at a grueling textile factory in Iran, returning home every night to deal with the rest of her problematic family, which includes: a pregnant daughter whose husband beats ... See full summary »

Director:

Rakhshan Bani-Etemad

Writers:

Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, Farid Mostafavi

Stars:

Golab Adineh, Mohammad Reza Forutan, Baran Kosari

5 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Golab Adineh	...	Tuba
Mohammad Reza Forutan	...	Abbas
Baran Kosari	...	Mahboubeh
Ebrahin Sheibani	...	Ali
Mohsen Ghazi Moradi	...	Mahmoud the Father
Mehraveh Sharifinia	...	Masoumeh
Homeira Riazi	...	Hamideh
Alireza Oosivand	...	Nasser Khan
Mehrdad Falahatger	...	Marandi
Maryam Boubani	...	Masoumeh's Mother
Nazanin Farahani	...	Nahid

Storyline

Tuba works daily at a grueling textile factory in Iran, returning home every night to deal with the rest of her problematic family, which includes: a pregnant daughter whose husband beats her regularly; a teenage son, who's been getting into trouble due to his burgeoning career in radical politics; and an older son who goes to great lengths--such as attempting to sell the family's meager house--in order to get an engineering job in Japan as a means of getting out of Iran. Unfortunately the 'friend' to whom he gave his money as an advance for his trip took off with the money, and the son finds himself without money, without a career, and with a debt towards a lot of people. To solve his problems he wants to deliver a package of heroin, but loses it, and has to flee. The film ends dramatically with a direct call from the mother to the camera crew asking what life has given them after all the sacrifices they have done, mirroring the opening scene.

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Plot Keywords:

textile factory | title directed by female | social problem

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Iran

Language:

Persian

Release Date:

25 May 2005 (France)

Also Known As:

Under the Skin of the City

Filming Locations:

Tehran, Iran

Company Credits

Production Co:

Farabi Cinema Foundation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

User Reviews

a rather brave look at the down-sides of Iranian society

I was pretty amazed when I watched this film because it was a brave look at some of the social problems a particular family has in Iran. There are several instances of spousal and child abuse in the film and although the lead character takes a fatalistic view, several of her children are enraged by it. I really enjoyed watching their daughter slug the neighbor who had been abusing her best friend--it really felt quite satisfying to watch. In addition, there are several societal problems (under-employment, the black market, etc.) that are discussed as well. I am really quite surprised that a movie coming out of Iran would take such a risk. Because of this, it is definitely worth a look.

This movie is not nearly as "pretty" as the fabulous Iranian films THE COLOR OF PARADISE or CHILDREN OF HEAVEN, but it helps to give a very different view of urban Iranian life.