A teenager in an Iranian provincial village desperately wants to go to Tehran to study acting. When her parents deny her wishes, she records her apparent suicide and has the video sent to the famous actress who had ignored the girl’s previous messages. Feeling guilty, Behnaz convinces black-listed film director Jafar Panahi to take her to the village to check on Marziyeh.

REVIEWS

“An artful, surprising and thrillingly intelligent story about a few women trying to make a difference.” – Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times

“Unquestioned patriarchal tradition and desperate responses to its oppressive power are dramatized in the Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s sly and defiant metafictional road movie.” – Richard Brody, The New Yorker

“A heartfelt statement of solidarity… such generosity of spirit is its own quietly fierce act of cinematic defiance.” – Jessica Kiang, Variety