Daughters of the Sun
| Daughters of the Sun | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Maryam Shahriar |
| Written by | Maryam Shahriar |
| Produced by | Jahangir Kosari |
| Starring | Altinay Ghelich Taghani Soghra Karimi Zahra Mohammadi Habib Haddad |
| Music by | Hossein Alizadeh |
Release date | 29 August 2000 |
Running time | 92 min |
| Country | Iran |
| Language | Persian |
Daughters of the Sun (Persian: دختران خورشید Dakhtaran-e khorshid) is a 2000 Iranian drama movie written and directed by Maryam Shahriar with Altinay Ghelich Taghani and Soghra Karimi in the lead. The movie was noted for successfully depicting the hardships faced by women in the rural economic conditions of Iran.[1]
Synopsis
The film opens with the family of members of Amangol (Altinay Ghelich Taghani) shaving her head, disguises her as a boy, and sends her to a distant village to become an apprentice to a rug weaver. The employer is known for his harsh and suspicious behaviour towards his employees. He beats the workers for small infractions, withholds any letters they receive, and keeps the door to the small stone weaving hut locked from the outside. Amangol (who has taken the name Aman) finds comfort and solace in one the co-workers named Belghies (Soghra Karimi). A deep friendship blossoms between these ladies.
Cast
- Altinay Ghelich Taghani as Amangol/Aman
- Soghra Karimi as Belghies
- Zahra Mohammadi
- Habib Haddad
Reception
Daughters of the Sun was met with generally positive reviews even though critics billed it as an Iranian Boys Don't Cry and found it similar to Osama and Baran - two films released during the same time. Maryam Shahriar was appreciated for developing a highly haunting and poetic mood for the movie with effective use of imageries and with minimum use of dialogues.[2] Newyork Times applauded the performance of Altinay Ghelich Taghani and said that, With her shaved head and staring eyes, Aman actually looks as if she had been stripped entirely of her sexuality, like a Holocaust victim.[3] Chicago Reader said that Taghani's passive and powerful performance as Amangol reminded them of the title character in Carl Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc.[4]Varietyapplauded the technical aspects of the film, especially Homayoun Payvar's cinematography that beautifully conveyed the hardships of the characters.[5] The movie currently holds a score of 65/100 in Metacritic.
Awards
- Montréal First Film Prize in Montréal World Film Festival (2000) [6]
- ''Graine de Cinéphage Award - Special Mention in Créteil International Women's Film Festival (2001)[7]
- Grand Jury Award for Outstanding International Narrative Feature in L.A. Outfest (2002)[8]
- Netpac Award in Rotterdam International Film Festival (2001) [9]
- Grand Prix Award in Bratislava International Film Festival (2001)
References
- ^ http://hcl.harvard.edu/hfa/films/2001novdec/iranian.html
- ^ http://www.sheilaomalley.com/?p=34155
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9403E0DA133DF93AA15754C0A9629C8B63
- ^ http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/daughters-of-the-sun/Film? oid=1069585
- ^ http://variety.com/2000/film/reviews/daughters-of-the-sun-1200464449/
- ^ http://www.ffm-montreal.org/en/awards/17-awards-of-the-montreal-world-film-festival-2000.html
- ^ http://m.famousfix.com/p2874831/creteil-international-womens-film-festival-2001/awards-summary
- ^ http://articles.latimes.com/2002/jul/25/news/wk-out25
- ^ http://www.filmfestivals.com/blog/editor/maryam_shahriar_comes_out_of_the_sun
