Tehran Taboo (2017)

In their desperate search for freedom and happiness, four young people from Tehran, Iran are forced to break the taboos of a restrictive, islamic society.

Director:

Ali Soozandeh

Writers:

Ali Soozandeh, Grit Kienzlen (co-writer)

Stars:

Jasmina Ali, Hasan Ali Mete, Zahra Amir Ebrahimi

4 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jasmina Ali	...	Amirs Girlfriend, School Official
Hasan Ali Mete	...	Judge
Zahra Amir Ebrahimi	...	Sara (as Zar Amir Ebrahimi)
Milinko Ametovic Beganovic	...	Boy on the motorcycle (as Paul Basonga)
Alireza Bayram	...	Mohsen
Siir Eloglu	...	Schwiegermutter
Adem Karaduman	...	Mohsens Colleague
Morteza Latif	...	Studio Owner
Aida Loos	...	Gynecologist
Payam Madjlessi	...	Ahmad / Punter / Basiji 1
Arash Marandi	...	Babak
Thomas Nash	...	Joseph
Negar Mona Alizadeh	...	Donya
Klaus Ofczarek	...	Father-in-Law
Farhad Payar	...	Taxidriver, Counterfeiter

Storyline

In this gorgeously animated drama, the lives of several strong-willed women and a young musician intersect. Their stories reveal the hypocrisies of modern Iranian society, where sex, drugs, and corruption coexist with strict religious law. In the bustling metropolis of Tehran, avoiding prohibitions has become an everyday sport and breaking taboos can be a means of personal emancipation. Nevertheless, women invariably end up on the bottom rung of the social order. A young woman needs an operation to "restore" her virginity. A judge in the Islamic Revolutionary Court exhorts favors from a prostitute in exchange for a favorable ruling. The wife of an imprisoned drug addict is denied the divorce she needs in order to live independently. Making use of rotoscope animation, expat Iranian filmmaker Ali Soozandeh creates a portrait of contemporary Tehran that would be impossible by any other means.

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Plot Keywords:

tehran iran | husband in prison | dancing | dormitory | shower | 

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Genres:

Animation | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

ARP Sélection [France] Camino Filmverleih [Germany]

Country:

Germany Austria

Language:

Persian

Release Date:

16 November 2017 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Téhéran tabou

Box Office

Gross USA:

$74,758, 17 May 2018

Company Credits

Production Co:

Little Dream Entertainment, Coop99 Filmproduktion, Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ali Soozandeh's directorial film debut.

User Reviews

A boring representation of contemporary life in Teheran

In present day Teheran, stories of multiple characters intertwine, presenting their everyday lives and their search of freedom and happiness. Although living in a very strict regime, plenty of acts, defined as taboo, undergo in the same place, providing an alternate way for people to reach their goals.

It's a dark and also sad story about discrimination, especially towards women, which basically are not allowed to do anything without their husband's permission. Thus, some are forced to take desperate measures, venturing into places where different "shortcuts" can be taken with the right amount of cash, of course. As you're about to see, the black market can be full of surprises, more or less pleasant, depending on the case.

It's a movie which describes in detail the struggles of Islamic women through the eyes of multiple characters. The story is far from impressive but I believe it delivers what it tries to. It shows the struggles, the ordeals that its characters, not very well described I have to add, have to face, hoping for a better life. The events are presented in parallel, in a very slow and boring manner, letting you wait a long time for something to happen. You can see it as a series of ordinary events, but it's not. Unfortunately, this is the impression that it leaves. Think of it as if it were to tell the boring story of someone's repetitive life, but with the emphasis on the ugly part. I understand that it's a very harsh life, full of discrimination, corruption and lots of other ugly aspects, but it would have been much better suited as a documentary. As a movie, it simply is boring as hell. Nothing interesting to be seen, mostly predictable, with boring characters and a mediocre story. Not to mention that the finale is as disappointing (if not worse) as the rest of the film, due to its sudden appearance, bringing little to no conclusion to the stories.

You could find a good part in the visual department but as far as I'm concerned, it left much to be desired. It's an unique approach regarding this department, but one which didn't impress me at all. It's just OK. No pluses and no minuses.

As a conclusion, I had better expectations from this movie regarding every single angle. I've seen a documentary disguised as an animation for the mature audience which didn't manage to bring anything that can make it worthwhile to be seen.