Watching Women Without Men is an engaging experience. The film’s director, Shirin Neshat, is best known for her photography. The cinematography throughout the film is outstanding. The detailed images and long takes work in tandem with minimal diegetic audio to both draw the viewer in and focus attention on the immediate scene. As a result the audience comes away with hearts pounding, feeling as if they were really there beside the characters. There are some glaring plot holes in the film, but even the plot seems less significant compared against intense and immersive experience Neshat’s artistry creates.

For this, her first dramatic feature Neshat chose to adapt a novel by Shahrnush Parsipur into a movie. Both the film and the novel are currently banned in Iran. The film follows the lives of four Iranian women in Tehran during the 1953 American-backed coup. The four, Munis, Faezeh, Zarin, and Fakhri, all represent very different backgrounds of women in Tehrani society. Despite their initial differences, all in their own way go through a transformative struggle that changes their life. Throughout the film, the characters’ stories weave in and out of each other, with touches of magical realism that highlight symbolic moments.

The first scene depicts Munis falling off a building. Her death is a central element not only to her storyline but to the film as a whole. This same scene is shown three times throughout the film: at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. Even though the image of her falling through the air, face turned towards the sky with a serene expression, is repeatedly shown, the moment of impact when her body hits the ground is never actually seen. The audience is only given the scene of her falling, indicating that the most important action is Munis’ choice to jump rather than the act of suicide. Munis’ voice breaks the silence; she speaks of the desire for freedom as she falls. Her calm voice begins speaking unsettling words which seem to describe suicide as a choice to be free. Together,  Munis’ expression and message create a pervasive eeriness that lingers with the viewer, returning echoes throughout the film each time she is shown falling.

Unlike Munis, Zarin does not choose to die, nor is she resurrected. Scenes of Zarin lying down in nature precede her death. Often in these scenes the colors are uniquely vibrant. Lush green backgrounds are in stark contrast with Zarin’s pale form. These scenes are more subtle than the scenes where Munis appears, but in their mysterious beauty they are equally powerful. In contrast with Munis’ rebelliousness Zarin comes across as resigned. She gives no explanation to anyone, and shows no signs of illness until she collapses. On her deathbed Zarin expresses no desire to get better, or not to die. At the moment of her death, the sounds of Faezeh’s cries, without background music or other theatrical effects, pulls at the viewers emotions. It’s hard not to feel have an emotional reaction to Faezeh’s cries. Given that Zarin’s silence throughout the film, it is difficult to know what her death symbolizes. Perhaps it foreshadows a future in which women are unable to escape in time from their torment. Despite the ambiguity of Zarin’s character, the beautiful artistry that surrounds her death make it a deeply affecting moment, much as in the case of Munis’ death.

Throughout the film there are often glaring instances of plot holes. To name a few, after Munis’ resurrection she visits a cafe that women are not allowed to enter. Faezeh is with her, and she is noticed by the men in the cafe, but Munis is not. Later on when Munis is sitting in another cafe, she is approached by a man she saw earlier in the town square. Parts of this inconsistency can be explained by the genre magical realism, like Munis’ resurrection, and her invisibility. But even magic has logic. Munis’ selective invisibility seems random. Calling this randomness magical realism sounds more like a cop-out than a credible explanation.   

In important scenes like these, the audience is never left feeling indifferent to the characters. Neshat’s skill in cinematography expertly guides the hearts of viewers to beat strongly with each character, even when it’s hard to understand their actions. The intense, dramatic visual experience of the film leaves a strong impression that stays with the audience long after the final credits have rolled.