"Actor: Azizeh Sedighi"

• The Day I Became A Woman | DVD | (24/06/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The Day I Became a Women continues the upsurge, following years of cultural control, of vital films to have come out of Iran (remember 1999's Blackboards?). Marziyeh Meshkini's poignant and uninhibited feature packs a great deal into its 74 minutes: the arrival of nine-year-old Hava at the brink of puberty and the consequent loss of her childhood; the frustrated determination of Ahoo to take part in a cycle race against her family's wishes (some breathtaking camerawork here); and the pleasure of an ageing widow, amassing the material possessions long denied her as she creates the perfect home for her final years. Together, these stories present a three-stage study of the position of women in Eastern societies, facing up to often harsh realities with not a little courage. The contrasts between the unyielding landscape and expansive coastal scenery--much more a presence than a mere backdrop--is tellingly caught, and reproduces well in the widescreen format. At a time when the debate over the standardisation of cinema is again in full swing, Meshkini shows how social restrictions can be channelled into filmmaking of emotional power and artistic vision. --Richard Whitehouse