In Divorce Iranian Style, directors Kim Longinotto and Ziba Mir-Hosseini provide an insight into the world of Iranian women, as seen from inside a family court
In Divorce Iranian Style, directors Kim Longinotto and Ziba Mir-Hosseini provide an insight into the world of Iranian women, as seen from inside a family court
Pleading one moment, coaxing and cajoling the next, the women in British filmmaker Kim Longinotto and Iranian co-director Ziba Mir-Hosseini's Divorce Iranian Style belong to a world that is untainted by stereotype.
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"We wanted to present an ordinary view of Iran," says Longinotto over the phone from London, about the 1998 documentary that examines the human consequences of Iran's divorce laws.
According to Iranian law, a woman who re-marries automatically loses
custody of her children to the father, like Maryam (pictured here with
her daughter), one of three women featured in the documentary
Longinotto and Mir-Hosseini's view challenges stereotypes about a country where the laws are skewed in favour of men, and women found 'guilty' of wearing "too much make-up" are handed cotton wool and face cream by female security guards stationed at the entrance to the family court.
But instead of being weighed down by oppressive laws and assumed moral restrictions in a country often portrayed as 'backward' and 'hostile' towards women, the female protagonists come across as 'modern', if not 'liberated'.
Conflicted judge
A significant portion of the 80-minute documentary is shot inside a family court ruled by Judge Deldar.
"We wanted a kind man, someone who might have found it difficult to make the decisions he had to," says Kim, reflecting on the decision to film inside Deldar's court.
Deldar is the 'kind', 'conflicted' man, whose dilemma about having to make decisions with potentially damaging emotional repercussions on the couples' lives is apparent.
Glimpses of this discomfort are visible in the scene where he asks one of the women why she can't just "get on" with her husband, a person Deldar deems a "good" man, and another where he is privy to a woman's account of her husband's inability to sexually satisfy her.
The women's reasons for seeking divorce include feeling trapped in loveless marriages, wanting to study further, falling in love with someone else or "marrying for lust", as defined by the court secretary, Mrs Maher.
Interestingly, it's the 'other' women inside Deldar's court, and not the judge himself, who pass the cruelest rulings on the women who enter, seeking justice: a hallmark of a society ruled by patriarchy.
Deldar's interactions with Paniz, the young daughter of Mrs Maher, is another effective device in the portrayal of Deldar as the 'kind man' let down by circumstance, in this case the law.
"Sometimes children say incredibly wise things," says Kim. "She [Paniz] is the next generation saying, 'I don't want to get married'; she's like a prophet of hope for the future," adds Kim.
Messengers of hope
Whether it's the 16-year-old Ziba who wants to go back to study or Maryam who is determined to win back custody of her two children, what binds the women is their desire to live life on their own terms. "These women realised very well that they needed to get their stories out; that they were part of change," concludes Kim.
On: Today, 7 pm
At: Prithvi house, opposite Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Vile Parle (W).
Entry to the screening by Viklap is free.
Seating on a first-come, first-served basis.
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