Filmmaker Saman Moghadam details the struggles of three women living in an antiquated district of Tehran in this emotionally resonant drama. Fabria's husband has been morally corrupted, and now it's up to her to take charge of the small café that proves the only source of income to the couple. Saloomeh is a beautiful young woman who dreams of marrying Ebi, but how will the couple survive on the salary of a simple mechanic? Lastly, middle aged Moluk has fallen for a much younger man, and her heart breaks when she discovers that her love is unrequited.
Acting
Roya Taymourian's crushing middle-aged longing
Cinematography
Worn textures of a dying Tehran neighborhood
Direction
Moghaddam's patient triptych structure
Director
Saman Moghaddam
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot in Tehran's old Darvazeh Shemiran district, the café itself closed shortly after filming—making the movie an accidental document of a vanished space.
Hanie Tavassoli (Saluma) was 22 playing desperate for marriage; she later became one of Iran's most acclaimed actresses, often in far more subversive roles.
IR
