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‘Woman and Child’ Review: In Iran, a Single Mom Pushes Back on the Patriarchy in Nonsensical, Self-Destructive Ways
Saeed Roustaee’s 'Woman and Child' is a setback for the gifted Iranian director, who imagines a mother whose choices make life worse for all involved.
No surprise, Iranian authorities don’t take well to Roustaee’s brand of feminism — this is the third feature of his, starting with “Life and a Day,” to center on a resilient and fairly independent woman — although he’s managed to upset the other side as well by making this film with government approval. Her son Aliyar (Sinan Mohebi) is just a teenager, but already a little hellion, showing up late to class in order to shoot dice at a local factory — one of a long list of infractions that gets him suspended for a week by Samkhanian (Maziar Seyedi) at school. His style — with its dynamic camera, efficient editing and plot-driven storytelling — feels much closer to American studio movies, compared to the relatively allegorical approach of other Iranian directors looking to critique the regime without signing their own death warrants.
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