The 2009 magical realism film Women Without Men, directed by Shirin Neshat and Shoja Azari, follows the lives of four Iranian women during the 1950s. Set in Tehran, the events of the film take place against the background of the coup which toppled the democratically elected regime. Through the stories of these women, the film shows the many challenges associated with being an Iranian woman and the difficulties in escaping them. Women Without Men presents four women imprisoned in their circumstances, depicting their attempts to free themselves and ultimately their failure to do so.
The first woman, Munis, lives with her controlling brother who hopes to marry her off soon. Munis, however, is engaged in the political happenings of the time and resentful of her brother’s desires. She describes herself as a prisoner in her brother’s house. We are next introduced to Faezeh, a friend of Munis who appears to be in love with Munis’s brother. Faezeh looks forward to marrying and disapproves of her friend’s political inclinations. In contrast to Munis and Faezeh’s domestic setting, the third woman, Zarin, lives and works at a brothel. While she does not speak, the defeated look and expression of discomfort on her face suggests that she too is trapped in her circumstances. After a surreal sequence in which one of Zarin’s customers appears faceless to her, she flees the brothel. The scene shifts and we are introduced to Fakhri, an older, well-off woman. Although she is married, she becomes entranced by an old friend recently returned to Iran from the United States. Later, in their home, Fakhri tells her husband that she wants out of their marriage and calls for a divorce.
At this point in the film, all four women and the prisons they are trapped in have been introduced. Munis is stuck in a future dictated by her brother, Zarin is haunted by men, and Fakhri is stuck in an unhappy marriage. Faezeh’s prison is less obvious. Her self-imposed goal of marrying Munis’s brother limits the way she sees herself and her self-worth. We watch as these women attempt to escape their prisons
Fakhri escapes Tehran in the literal sense, purchasing a large, walled orchard and house outside of the city. After leaving the brothel, Zarin finds herself well outside of Tehran. She follows a small stream, eventually reaching Fakhri’s orchard. Fakhri later discovers Zarin, motionless, floating in the water outside of the house. The caretaker of the orchard carries her inside. Eventually Zarin awakens and begins to recover.
Munis takes the most extreme action to escape her circumstances, jumping from a rooftop. Faezeh finds her in the street, apparently dead. Her brother buries her in the yard. Sometime later at the wedding of Munis’s brother, Faezeh is in the yard and hears Munis’s voice coming from the ground. She digs at the dirt and finds Munis, still alive. Rather than reveal her resurrection to her brother, Munis immediately makes her way to a nearby café to sit and hear the latest political news, never to return to her brother’s house. Faezeh hesitantly follows her. In the café, Munis meets a young man who is a member of the communist party. For Munis, this moment marks the beginning of her emancipation from her brother’s control. For the rest of the film she is an active member of the party, fighting against the American-backed coup.
For Faezeh, however, visiting the café marks the peak of her struggle. While Munis goes inside, Faezeh hangs around outside the café. After noticing two men watching her, she rushes away, only to be followed by them. Later, Munis finds her crying on a doorstep; it is apparent that she has been raped. Faezeh is engulfed by shame and faced with the reality that she will have a difficult time finding a husband because she is no longer a virgin. Munis and Faezeh leave the city and find themselves at Fakhri’s orchard. It is not clear why Munis knows of this place or why she brings her friend there. It is here Faezeh is left to free herself from her shame and accept herself.
Despite political upheaval in Tehran, Faezeh, Fakhri, and Zarin are free to do as they wish in the sanctuary of the orchard. For a time, it seems that all of the women have escaped their prisons to the safety of the lush green gardens. However, as the film ends it becomes clear that this is not the case. Zarin, upon recognizing the caretaker as the faceless customer, falls ill, eventually dying. Faezeh and Fakhri are unable to save her. Fakhri’s oasis is further invaded when soldiers arrive, apparently looking for enemies of the Shah. The soldiers are only appeased when they learn that Fakhri is the wife of an important general, once again reducing her to the role she was attempting to escape. Faezeh is surprised when Munis’s brother arrives at the party and proposes. Although she had once hoped to marry him, she refuses his advances, knowing that as a second wife she would not truly have the marriage she wanted. She too is unable to escape the attention of men even though it was once desirable to her.
Munis’s fate is no better than that of the other three women. After the successful coup d’état, Munis and the other communist party members are hunted by the police. Having lost her means for political expression, her escape too has failed. In the final scene, we see Munis once again standing on a rooftop. Her voice narrates, explaining that “[she] thought, the only freedom from pain is to be free from the world.” She then jumps to her death.
The mystery of the orchard- its isolated location, how any of the women knew of its existence, and its ambiguous size- only serves to highlight its importance as a space for women. While we know very little about its background, we do know that the orchard serves as a sanctuary for the three women. In this way, the filmmakers create a literal safe space for women which they then ultimately break down by introducing men to the setting. This deliberate destruction of a female space emphasizes the inescapability of the prisons built for women in a patriarchal society. Munis, in contrast to the other three, does not seek asylum in the orchard. Her narrative instead shows that breaking into a men’s space (the realm of politics) also does not guarantee freedom from a woman’s prison. Through the lens of these women’s lives, the film successfully speaks to the unavoidability of oppression in many forms for women in Iran.
This pessimistic message does not suggest that women can never be free of their oppressors but that they cannot do so within today’s society. It is not enough for women to defy their oppressors: for the status of women to change, the patriarchy must be fully dismantled. Otherwise, Fakhri, Munis, Faezeh, and Zarin will always be a wife, a sister, a tainted woman, and an object of sexual pleasure. In this way, the filmmakers successfully underscore the need for societal change. While the film is set in Iran, Women Without Men can appeal to an international audience because its message is relevant in any patriarchal society.
While the its message is evident, the filmmakers fail to clarify many of the film’s details. The elements of magical realism in the film, like Zarin’s faceless customer and Munis’s resurrection, go unexplained. It is unclear to the viewer how these aspects relate to the film’s overarching themes. This ambiguity leaves the viewer confused, as though they missed something important, making the film less enjoyable to watch. While Women Without Men succeeds in telling the poignant stories of four Iranian women, it leaves the viewer a bit lost at times.
big bonus slots every day with an attractive appearance and for that you can join our game site which always presents you with a place to play online slots that will take you to an exciting and interesting level of play https://brigittevarel.com/
Look for as many benefits as possible on the online lottery site that we present to you with special and attractive offers that will increase your enthusiasm and opportunities to win at your favorite number game that we present through this site https://hualianchuju.com/
Big new member bonus with the best facilities and services that we present through our game site which always gives you a safe and comfortable place to play. Come now to win and get big jackpot prizes through the site link https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/160282779-waktogel-88
The victory you dream of will be very easy to achieve if you play on our game site which always presents the latest game innovations that you can enjoy on our site. Find your luck right now by playing with us and doing free spins full of available prizes https://231396.com/
Especially from the island of Java and its surrounding areas, we present all the hottest news 24/7 to those of you who like to follow important information. We present it for free on this platform https://kejadiansurabaya.info/
where you look for profits on the number game site that we present to you with abundant bonuses and prizes that you can enjoy every day on our game site, join now to achieve greater victories with us captogel
Online lottery dealer that you can visit with the most complete facilities, you can get a full jackpot guarantee on our game site, join now to get the extra benefits you want here ktp jitu
Usually I do not read article on blogs, but I wish to say that this write-up very forced me to try and do it! Your writing style has been surprised me. Thanks, quite nice post. 카지노사이트
Hello! I just would like to give a huge thumbs up for the great info you have here on this post. I will be coming back to your blog for more soon. 토토사이트
Thank you for this excellent piece and whilst I do not go along with this in totality, I regard the perspective. 안전놀이터
I think other site proprietors should take this web site as an model wonderful user genial style and design, as well as the content. You are an expert in this topic!소액결제 현금화
You’re really a good webmaster. The site loading speed is incredible. It seems that you’re doing any unique trick. 신용카드현금화
Toto Macau Prediction Service that we present for you so that you can easily combine each number that will come out, join now and enjoy more benefits with us through our trusted site, come on, register yourself immediately through palu 4d
The site that has successfully brought me to the big win that I want, a fairly simple way and big bonuses with the best service that can bring you to the big win that you want, join us now, spin your luck with us in online slot games kit4d login
your information is very useful and easy to understand, thank you to the authors who have conveyed all this, there is an entertainment place full of surprises and big prizes that you can play and with a big jackpot bonus that is available only for you through pajero toto
Here is where you play online slots with sensational spins that will take you to a different dimension. Come play with us and enjoy more wins that you can get only on our trusted site link. Get your big jackpot now with us https://supercsf.com/
Your access is now easy to achieve your luck in online lottery games because our website makes it very easy for you to achieve the luck you want just by guessing and placing your best numbers on the right market, you will feel the pleasure of getting a super big jackpot https://dviance.net/
On this site you will get more opportunities to easily achieve the victory you want. Join now and get your luck with us on this online lottery game site https://82555666.com/
The most charming online slot graphics and with bonuses given at all times you can enjoy on our game site appear now to get more wins with us https://qilinqq.info/
A complete game site that you can try on our site with an easy game pattern and abundant bonuses at any time that you can enjoy only on our trusted site link, come play with us and get your luck today https://myreview.id/
very easy to understand thank you to you writers we really appreciate what you have presented do not forget we also invite you to join our game site which gives you a fun and interesting place to play with abundant surprises every day you can enjoy just by going through this site link https://81xzan.com/
We now present accurate lottery numbers to you so that you can easily achieve every win in the number game that you play from all your favorite markets. Join us now and achieve your victory with the exact numbers that we present to you directly from the experts https://hanamaru-s.net/
Try the best online slot games that we present to you with various types of online slot games with the best graphics that you can enjoy on this site. Join now to achieve the victory you want https://leewingsac.com/
online slots with the best bonuses this year that you can try in our online slot games, play now and enjoy abundant bonuses every day on the trusted site link that we present to you https://hz-ie.com/
online slots with the highest winning percentage that you can get only on our trusted site link, join now to get more wins https://updown.id/
Get the most complete online lottery market through our trusted site link which always makes it easy for you to achieve the success you want https://gen-b.id/
super clear and full HD graphics that you can enjoy on our website for your comfort in playing, come join now and get your victory in this online slot game here is the site https://szhrzssj.com/
If you play on the online slots that we present with various types of games that you can enjoy, our website will be very suitable for those of you who like to play and look for quick profits https://hoogle.today/
The best service, the most complete facilities and abundant bonuses can be enjoyed every day on our website which gives you convenience and smoothness in playing. Take your chance today to get lucky here https://leewingsac.com/
present as a trusted provider that you can rely on when you need a site that can make money quickly and easily and in a relatively simple way, join now https://espn3livetv.com/
Come on, try playing the Cambodian online lottery that we present to you. Try it now to experience an extraordinary playing experience https://togel-cambodia-pro.id/
The biggest prize of the year is only available on our website which always gives you the most comfortable place to play. Come join now and get your luck in the online slot rounds that you play here https://224jt.com/
Accurate online lottery numbers that you can enjoy on the game site that we present through our trusted site link. Join now to place your best numbers with us through this site https://gg8008.com/
All the most complete accurate prediction numbers that can increase your chances of winning in your favorite number game. Come on, place the best numbers and achieve your victory today https://hykadu.com/
I wanted to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for your outstanding article. Your insights have truly enlightened me.
sexy baccarat
There is now a live streaming service provider that provides the actual online Macau lottery number drawing process with the most complete facilities that allow players to easily get all the information on the trusted official site berastogel login
one of the online lottery games that has the biggest prize is bibit4d
The right recommendation for those of you who want to play number games with various types of the most complete markets that we present through our trusted site, join to try your luck in the world of number games, register now through the official site available tribuntogel
A site that will give you a place to play full of exciting and interesting gaming experiences that you can enjoy through a trusted site that will bring you the opportunity to achieve big wins only at tribuntogel
online slots with the best graphics that you can enjoy on our game site which always presents you with an exciting and dancing place to play just for you to visit right now here https://aryaguna.id/
You can enjoy more wins with us in the best online slot games that we present to you through this trusted site https://techintellectual.com/
easy access to play with super fast 24 hour service that you can only enjoy on our website, join now and get your luck in online lottery games https://kolinay.com/
With just a low deposit capital, you can enjoy every game that we present with various other types of games that you can try to join and enjoy every game available on this game site. Register to get more opportunities to win together oli4d
Register on a trusted site that always provides you with an exciting and interesting place to play with various types of games that you can enjoy on this game site. Join now and win your big jackpot obeng bet
join to get more wins with us through sites tribuntogel which has been proven to be the most complete game provider platform for you to try.
Get a fun and surprising place to play every day that you can enjoy on our website. Join us to achieve the luck you want with us through our trusted site https://globalforbes.com/
A site full of surprises and attractive prizes in it with various interesting features such as online slots from various servers that you can try to try a new experience in playing https://hykadu.com/
your favorite teams score prediction zone that we present specifically through our trusted website that makes it easy for you to play and seek profit in every game. Join us now on the favorite game site in Asia 1001liga
a place to play online slots that are full of surprises and abundant prizes in every round you play will generate a lot of big money in a fast and easy way, get it now on our game site and feel the sensation of big wins that we present to you through our trusted site here, try it now by registering at dorahoki
Todays gacor slots that you can enjoy on our website that makes it easy for you to win every round, get it now on our website and get your collection now with us through this trusted site obraltoto login