The Apple (1998)

After twelve years of imprisonment by their own parents, two sisters are finally released by social workers to face the outside world for the first time.

Director:

Samira Makhmalbaf

Writers:

Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Samira Makhmalbaf (as Samireh Makhmalbaf)

Stars:

Massoumeh Naderi, Zahra Naderi, Ghorban Ali Naderi

7 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Massoumeh Naderi	...	Massoumeh
Zahra Naderi	...	Zahra
Ghorban Ali Naderi	...	Father
Azizeh Mohamadi	...	Azizeh
Zahra Saghrisaz

Storyline

After twelve years of imprisonment by their own parents, two sisters are finally released by social workers to face the outside world for the first time.

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Plot Keywords:

family drama | docudrama | contemporary | feminist film | real twins playing twins | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Iran France Netherlands

Language:

Persian

Release Date:

19 February 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Apple

Filming Locations:

Iran

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$15,207, 21 February 1999, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$116,758, 27 June 1999

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hubert Bals Fund, MK2 Productions, Makhmalbaf Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Samira Makhmalbaf makes her directorial debut at the tender age of just 17. She is not however the youngest director on record - that accolade belongs to Sydney Ling who was just 13 when he made Lex, the Wonder Dog (1973).

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Connections

Featured in The Story of Film: An Odyssey: New Boundaries: World Cinema in Africa, Asia & Latin America (2011)

User Reviews

Not without his daughters!

One of the great pleasures I get out of watching foreign films is that I get see a real culture, not tainted by the political or mythical stereotypes that we have put upon them. The Apple (a.k.a. Sib) is perfect example, as it is an Iranian made production that speaks nothing of terrorism, but only of the people.

The Apple walks a thin line between documentary and drama as it tells the story of two young girls who have never walked outside their home in all the 11 years they have been alive. As the film opens, neighbors have written a letter to the Child Welfare department, and a case worker comes to the home to take the children away. Their father, a fundamentalist muslim, and their blind mother protest this and are allowed to take them back only if they promise to treat them properly.

What is truly amazing about this film is that is was filmed by Massoumeh Naderi, a seventeen year old actress and director, and that it stars the actual children and their father. As I watched this film I wasn't aware of this fact and I recall thinking about the amateur acting, yet how these characters seemed so believable. All of this makes me want to see the film again.

The Apple is one of the few films that has left thinking long after the credits have rolled and I am sure I will be disecting it for weeks to come. A review I read after the film questioned how the American media might cover a story of two children being locked away. I, on the other hand, am pondering the films intent, (I gather it is about women's rights) and the state of affairs for the real people who live in Iran.

Wow!