Under the City's Skin (2001) Zir-e poost-e shahr (original title)

Director:

Rakhshan Bani-Etemad

Writers:

Rakhshan Bani-Etemad
Farid Mostafavi

Release Date:

25 May 2005 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Tuba works daily at a grueling textile factory in Iran, returning home every night to deal with the rest of her problematic family...

Plot Keywords:

Textile Factory | Title Directed By Female | Social Problem

Awards:

5 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

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

Directed by
Rakhshan Bani-Etemad

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Rakhshan Bani-Etemad
Farid Mostafavi

Produced by
Rakhshan Bani-Etemad	....	producer
Jahangir Kosari	....	producer

Cinematography by
Hossein Jafarian

Film Editing by
Mostafa Kherghehpoosh		(as Mostafa Kherghepoush)

Production Design by
Omid Mohit

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Nava Rohani	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Mohammad Reza Delpak	....	sound editor: effects and mix
Asghar Shahverdi	....	sound

Production Companies

• Farabi Cinema Foundation

Distributors

• Noblesse Oblige Distribution (2005) (France) (theatrical)
• Noblesse Oblige Distribution (2005) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Magnolia Pictures (2003) (USA) (subtitled)
• Wellspring Media (2003) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Zir-e poost-e shahr" - Iran (original title)
"Under the Skin of the City" - USA (festival title)

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

Iran

Language:

Persian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Tehran, Iran

Company:

Farabi Cinema Foundation

George Bush must hate Americans, because he wants to kill these people, who are... pretty much like ourselves.

A well made, rather sad story about a traditional Iranian family having to confront the intrusions of the Modern era - represented by the realtor's greed and the young man's heroin addiction. The film-makers do not shy away from the fact that the current regime can only address these issues with dictates derived from sharia (muslim civil law), and that this does not yet - at least not yet as so far interpreted - provide solutions the characters can live with. Perhaps it will one day - the film-makers (wisely, I think) leave that matter open.

What we are left with here are very human, even painfully human, characters with all the problems humans confront everywhere on a daily basis - providing house and home to one's family; dealing with failed ambition and disappointed expectations; learning to live with a multitude of human weaknesses.

Gee, don't they sound like many Americans? And these are the people that George Bush wants destroyed? Well, never mind the big Texas yo-yo - fools are plentiful and, thankfully, shortlived.

The use of HDTV camera and the cramped spaces of the sets used (apparently real homes after all), may jar a little; but the passion - and honesty - behind the film is clear, and highly welcome. Also, of course, one can't say enough good about the acting here, it is all top notch.

A brilliant and insightful little film that more Americans need to witness.