Under the Skin of the City (2001)

A valuable visual commentary on modern society, 'Under The Skin Of The City' follows one Iranian family in their eternal struggle to stay afloat financially and emotionally. Touba works ... See full summary »

Director:

Rakhshan Banietemad (as Rakhshan Bani-Etemad)

Writers:

Rakhshan Banietemad (as 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
Ebrahim 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
Vahid Razaghi	...	Homayoon

Storyline

A valuable visual commentary on modern society, 'Under The Skin Of The City' follows one Iranian family in their eternal struggle to stay afloat financially and emotionally. Touba works hard at a textile factory to make ends meet during the day, returning in the evening to face the trials and tribulations of her family: her pregnant daughter who frequently suffers at the hands of her abusive husband, a son embroiled in radical politics, and another son who hopes to escape to Japan. In their fight for self-determination and independence, Touba and her family come to represent the plight of the working class in modern day Tehran.

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Plot Keywords:

textile factory | f rated | title directed by female | social problem | 

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Genres:

Drama

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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.

Details

Official Sites:

IMVBox.com sourehcinema

Country:

Iran

Language:

Persian

Release Date:

25 May 2005 (France)

Also Known As:

Bajo la piel de la ciudad

Filming Locations:

Tehran, Iran

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,412, 16 March 2003

Gross USA:

$30,666

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$30,666

Company Credits

Production Co:

Farabi Cinema Foundation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1