Under the Skin of the City

Starring:Golab Adineh, Mohammad Reza Forutan, Baran Kosari, Ebrahin Sheibani, Mohsen Ghazi Moradi, Mehraveh Sharifinia, Homeira Riazi, Ali Osivand, Mehrdad Falahatger, Maryam Boubani, Nazanin Farahani
Director: Rakhshan Bani Etemad
Studio: Fox Lorber
Product Type: DVD

Description

Tuba, a mother of four, is a hard-working factory worker who is faced with unexpected challenges that threaten her family and way of life. Her oldest son, Abbas works to obtain a foreign work visa, which he hopes will allow him the opportunity to provide more for his family, and win the affections of a pretty office girl. To make his final payment, he sells the family home, but when his travel plans fall apart, Tuba is forced to take drastic measures to save her house and her son. Widely regarded as the "First Lady of Iranian Cinema," Rakhshan Bani-Etemad's first U.S. release is a stirring and powerful family drama that provides a fresh and provocative vision of Iranian urban society.

Customer Reviews:

The dark side of Tehran.......2007-02-07

The real life of a big city depicted in a way the Iranian censorship did not like too much. In this genre, the real masterpiece remains definitely "Dayareh" (The Circle) by Jafar Panahi.

Overworked mother burdened by family and work........2004-06-09

After working long hours in a Tehran textile factory, Mrs. Tuba negotiates the lives of her troubled children, her reclusive husband, and an abused neighbor. Her children have various problems including skipping school, attending political demonstrations, staying in an abusive marriage, and constantly spending money on presents and expensive dinners. Much attention is focused on Abbas, the eldest child, who is trying desperately trying to obtain a Japanese visa to earn enough money to enable his elder mother to stop working. In between his work assignments Abbas admires an office worker and showers her with attention and gifts.

Throughout this film there are frequent scenes depicting the commotion of the busy highways of Tehran and its beautiful streets and shop fronts. Also included are numerous insights into the Iranian society and cultural customs. Unfortunately, I don't feel that this is a particularly strong film. The beginning was quite confusing and muddled together as the characters' relationships were never adequately defined. It wasn't until about halfway through that the plot started to come together. I believe that many nuances were lost in translation and that if I were more acquainted with this culture than I would have understood more of what occurred. I sincerely wonder if this film were taken out of the exotic location would there remain anything sufficient of the plot? Overall, this film is a typical family drama with minimal sparkles or highlights.

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