Divorce Iranian Style

Divorce, Iranian StyleTalagh, be sabke Irani This video is a powerful documentary made inside the divorce courts in present Iran. In Farsi with English subtitles and Narration. Thought Provoking! Hilarious, tragic, stirring, this fly-on-the-wall look at several weeks in an Iranian divorce court provides a unique window into the intimate circumstances of Iranian women?s lives. Following Jamileh, whose husband beats her; Ziba, a 16 year old trying to divorce her 38 year old husband; and Maryam, who is desperately fighting to gain custody of her daughters, this deadpan chronicle showcases the strength, ingenuity, and guile with which they confront biased laws, a Kafakaesque administrative system, and their husbands? and families? rage to gain divorces.

With the barest of commentary, Longinotto turns her cameras on the court and lets it tell its own story. Dispelling images of Iran as a country of war, hostages, and ?fatwas?, and Iranian women as passive victims of a terrible system, this film is a subtle, fascinating look at women?s lives in a country which is little known to most Americans. 

?Focuses on the actions of three extraordinary women who are trying to change their all too ordinary lives as they take to task the old laws of the land. It is revelatory and gripping stuff with Longinotto as an astute observer.?
Edinburgh Film Festival

?A fascinating verite-style documentary that counters with compassion, humor, and a keen nose for spotting empathetic characters, strong-willed women, and dramatic moments, the traditional stereotypes of women in the Muslim world as passive victims.?
Hamid Naficy