Absent Wound

Making a stage from two public spaces in Iran which women are prohibited from entering, Maryam Tafakory’s depiction of men and women coming of age draws parallels while commenting on this separation of the genders. The authority of tradition is metaphorically undermined by obstructed onscreen text, while a woman’s low hums and whispers remind us of the presence of the body in the enactment of rituals. (International Film Festival Rotterdam)