ZANANEH

A Ladies room in the center of Tehran seems to be a good meeting point with an often therapeutic role. Directed by the acclaimed Iranian actress Mahnaz Afzali and filmed entirely inside a ladies washroom in a public park in Tehran, The Ladies shatters western preconceptions of Iranian women. Populated by addicts, prostitutes, runaway girls and others who simply enjoy the camaraderie and atmosphere, The Ladies becomes one of the few places where women feel comfortable enough to smoke cigarettes, discuss taboo subjects and remove their veils. Maryam is an epileptic who reveals the brutal circumstances that drove her to heroin addiction and self-mutilation; Sepideh describes her fraught relationship with her mother and her struggle to get back on her feet; and the old woman who runs the bathroom alternately offers tough love and a shoulder to cry on. The rest room becomes a shelter where the women can be safely unveiled, both physically and mentally. The Ladies is raw and provocative, a remarkable verité look at the hidden lives of Iranian women. Mahnaz Afzali interviews the women in a very spontaneous manner. We experience the whole film as a friendly chat visualized by an invisible camera.