Latest news with #SaeedRoustaee
The National
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Woman and Child review: Iran's other Cannes Palme d'Or nominee should not be ignored
Following Jafar Panahi's Palme d'Or winner It Was Just An Accident, Woman and Child was the second Iranian film to play in this year's Cannes Film Festival main competition – and deserves to garner as much attention. Directed by Saeed Roustaee, it's another forceful work to come out of Iranian cinema at a time when filmmakers are under constant pressure in their homeland. In the case of Roustaee, he was given a suspended six months prison sentence for submitting his 2022 work Leila's Brothers to Cannes without making the necessary changes to appease the Ministry of Culture. His new film, Woman and Child, comes with an in-baked anger against the Iranian authorities. On the surface, it's a portrait of a single mother-of-two, living in modern-day Tehran. Mahnaz (Parinaz Izadyar) is an overworked nurse who's life is all harassment and little pleasure. She lives with her mother and younger sister Mehri (Soha Niasti), who lends a hand raising her two kids, the adorable Neda (Arshida Dorostkar) and the mischievous 14-year-old, Aliyar (Sinan Mohebi). Even Mahnaz's romantic life is anything but easy. After her husband passed away, she has been dating Hamid (Payman Maadi), an ambulance driver at the hospital where she works. He wants her to marry, given they have been together for two years, but she is refusing his proposals. Worse is to come, given Aliyar's behaviour at school. 'Your son is a monster' she is told, and he's certainly out of control, whether he's bullying other kids or posting videos of his frazzled teachers online. At one point, he idly breaks off a matchstick in the slot of a padlock, which chains the school gates, moments before crowds of children swarm to leave for the day. It leads to utter chaos, beautifully captured by Roustaee, who truly shows his cinematic eye throughout this film. Another striking moment comes as Aliyar runs down the stairs of his apartment block, the camera glancing down to show the cavernous interior, with its checkered floor, to some degree foreshadowing the fatal events to come. Woman and Child hinges on a midpoint narrative moment, a tragic event that changes everything, when Aliyar dies after falling from a window. At this point, he's being looked after by his grandfather (Hassan Pourshirazi), while Mahnaz is elsewhere, dealing with her potential future in-laws. Was it the grandfather's fault? The second hour of Woman and Child spirals as Mahnaz begins pursuing a legal case against her former father-in-law, as she plunges into Iran's byzantine legal system. You might call Woman and Child a melodrama, although the drama itself feels very real. While it's not as gripping as A Separation, Asghar Farhadi's award-winning tale about a couple undergoing divorce in modern-day Iran, it still engages with the complexities of Iranian law, and moral questions of guilt and responsibility. But as the title suggests, Roustaee's film is very much about the female experience, and the bond of a mother with her offspring. Arguably it's this that feels radical, a film that gives us the perspective of a modern-day Iranian woman navigating a patriarchal society. And this portrait of an independent woman, living, surviving and eventually grieving in today's Tehran, shows plenty of rebellious spirit. An important social work, this Palm D'Or winner would have been just as deserving of Cannes's top prize.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Woman and Child' Review: An Unwieldy Iranian Melodrama Sustained by Great Performances and a Gifted Young Director
With four features under his belt, three of them ambitious and sprawling ensemble pieces, 35-year-old Iranian wunderkind Saeed Roustaee is the kind of director who takes a big swing for the fences with each new film. His 2019 drug thriller, Just 6.5, was like The French Connection meets The Wire in contemporary Iran. His 2022 family epic, Leila's Brothers — which, like his new film, premiered in competition in Cannes — had hints of both The Godfather and the searing social dramas of Asghar Farhadi, with some of the best acting in any movie that year. Roustaee attempts another big swing with Mother and Child, a grandiose modern melodrama filled with love, death, heartache, anger, jealousy, vengeance and possible murder. It's a lot to take in, and not all of it works despite some more great performances, including from regular leading man Payman Maadi (also an early Farhadi regular in About Elly and A Separation). The actor stars opposite a terrific female cast in a story that plays out like a 1950s Hollywood weepie, piling on the tears but not always doing it convincingly. Still, Roustaee's sheer talent comes through in several memorable scenes combining bursts of emotion with the chaos of family life. More from The Hollywood Reporter Cate Blanchett, Afghan, Syrian Creators on Fund for Displaced Directors Backing "Surprising Narratives" Kelly Reichardt on 'The Mastermind,' Josh O'Connor and What the '70s Have to Teach Us Today 'A Private Life' Review: A Delightfully Paired Jodie Foster and Daniel Auteuil Escape Injury in a Messy but Pleasurable Genre Collision It takes a moment to get oriented in the opening reels, which plunge us into the world of Mahnaz (Parinaz Izadyar), a widowed mother shuffling between nursing jobs and the care of her children, 14-year-old Aliyar (Sinan Mohebi) and 8-year-old Neda (Arshida Dorostkar). Sharing an apartment with her pesty mom (Fereshteh Sadr Orafaee) and younger sis, Mehri (Soha Niasti), the overworked Mahnaz still has time on the side to date Hamid (Maadi), an ambulance driver who desperately wants to marry her. While the film's primary focus is Mahnaz, the director cuts away early on to Aliyar, a lively but bratty teenage boy who can't help wreaking havoc in class. Roustaee's predilection for epic set-pieces is on display in school scenes involving hundreds of young extras populating manual workshops and overcrowded classrooms. At one point, cinematographer Adib Sobhani's camera cranes up above the schoolyard, showing students and parents separated by a fence that Aliyar accidentally locked. It's a powerful image and a preview of what happens next: Backed into a corner by Hamid, Mahnaz accepts to get their parents together to negotiate a wedding — because even a 40-something widow does not get to decide whom she marries. Mahnaz sends her kids to stay with their paternal grandad (Hassan Pourshirazi), but everything falls apart when Hamid realizes that he actually prefers the younger Mehri. If that wasn't already a big twist, Roustaee adds a much bigger one when, without warning, we learn that Aliyar has been rushed to the hospital, where he tragically dies. Not many directors could pile incident upon incident like this and make it work, but when Mahnaz storms into the emergency room to see her son pass away before her eyes, the emotional impact is jarring. And yet that scene, as well as the long mourning period Mahnaz goes through afterwards, is followed by several more melodramatic twists in a scenario that requires a certain level of disbelief. Compared to Roustaee's other films, which were steeped in realism, Woman and Child drifts too far into soap opera/thriller territory in its second half, even if the acting and direction are always top-notch. Without divulging too much, some of the twists involve Mahnaz getting back at both Hamid and the grandfather, the latter who she believes killed her son. Is she doing it out of desperation, or does she have reasons not to trust either man? Or does she feel responsible for Aliyar's death, having sent him and his sister away so she could arrange a marriage that never happened? The excellent Izadyar, who's another regular of the director's troupe, embodies these conflicts in a chilling turn which sees Mahnaz going through several states of grief, until she decides to take matters into her own hands. While this film is less focused on social issues than Roustaee's previous work, the effects of Iran's harsh patriarchal system are evident in how the story plays out. A woman and her child may be at the center of the drama, but they have little agency in a country where men set all the rules. Even if Mahnaz tries to fight back legally, the courts are completely stacked against her, leaving no other choice but to break the law herself. Ironically, she winds up emulating the very rebellious behavior she kept chastizing her son for, revealing how the two had a lot more in common than they imagined. Playing the male lead in a female-driven narrative, Maadi makes Hamid a down-on-his-luck loner who tends to bully all the women around him. He sees a good opportunity for himself in marrying Mahnaz, then an even better one in her younger sister. Why the lovely Mehri falls for such a loser — Hamid is one of the least charming grooms in recent memory — can only by explained by the lack of options available to her. Even if Roustaee lets the plot get carried away from him, especially in the last act, he gives certain scenes a deeper resonance by underlining the gender and class struggles his characters are all facing. The film's opening shot has Mahnaz sitting in a plastic surgery clinic along with dozens of other Iranian women, all of them wearing chemical masks to help them look younger or better. Other memorable images include a tracking shot over children's graves in the cemetery where Aliyar is buried, and an outdoor lot filled with parked ambulances that Mahnaz rents to unhoused families for the night. Such details elevate Woman and Child above your average drama, pinpointing how the crazy decisions made by Mahnaz and the others result from a society that's constantly pushing down on them. As unwieldy as some of this movie is, much of it proves that Roustaee remains a gifted young director who surely has more stories to tell. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Hollywood Stars Who Are One Award Away From an EGOT 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now "A Nutless Monkey Could Do Your Job": From Abusive to Angst-Ridden, 16 Memorable Studio Exec Portrayals in Film and TV
Malay Mail
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Hijabs, permits and suspense: Iranian director Saeed Roustaee unsure if he can go home after Cannes
'Woman and Child' in running for Cannes' top prize One of two films from Iran competing in 22-strong pool Director says he observed boundaries to avoid issues CANNES, May 24 — Iranian filmmaker Saeed Roustaee said on Friday that he was careful in how he shot his Cannes Film Festival entry 'Woman and Child', which never shows women without the mandatory hijab, but was still unsure how he would be received when he returned home. 'Last time, they took my passport,' said the 35-year-old about his last appearance at the festival in southern France, for competition title 'Leila's Brothers' in 2022. 'This time, I hope they don't. I just want to go home.' Roustaee had also been handed a six-month suspended sentence over that film for showcasing it without Tehran's authorisation. The director said that facing a sentence places a heavy burden not only on the person, but all their friends and family. 'Maybe you can handle it yourself, but when you see that your elderly parents can't, it hurts more,' he told journalists. His new film, 'Woman and Child,' stars Parinaz Izadyar as single mother Mahnaz, whose decision to marry her boyfriend Hamid kicks off a series of events culminating in tragedy. Roustaee obtained a permit for the new film, because without it, there was no way he was going to be able to shoot, he said. 'I don't know to what extent I'm self-censoring, but ultimately, I live in Iran,' the director said. 'I'm making films in Iran, and I very much want people to see my films on the big screen. So probably, I am observing certain boundaries so that my films can make it to the screen.' 'Woman and Child,' which premiered on Thursday, is one of two Iranian films competing for the Palme d'Or top prize this year, the other being 'It Was Just An Accident' by Jafar Panahi. Panahi, who does not apply for government approval, also plans to return to Iran to begin work on his new film even though he only recently was allowed to travel after 15 years. In total, 22 films are competing for the award this year. — Reuters
LeMonde
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- LeMonde
Cannes 2025: Director Saeed Roustaee says, 'in Iran, all filmmakers are under surveillance'
Three years after Leila's Brothers, Saeed Roustaee has returned to the Cannes competition with his fourth feature film, Woman and Child. In the meantime, the feminist uprising "Woman, Life, Freedom" ignited Iran, starting in September 2022. That led to the 35-year-old director being suspected of collusion with those in power, allegations he addressed just minutes after walking the red carpet, on Thursday, May 22. Does Woman and Child echo the 'Woman, Life, Freedom' movement? Indirectly, yes. My first feature, Life and a Day (2016), was already centered on a woman. My third film, Leila's Brothers (2022), was as well. But in those films, the women were trying, in one way or another, to save those around them. Here, the heroine is stronger and more independent. She ultimately breaks free from all forms of dependency. She decides on her own whether to seek revenge or to forgive, to give death or life… Your female characters wear headscarves, even in indoor scenes. How do you respond to those who have accused you of making concessions to the regime? Since "Woman, Life, Freedom," that question has become even more pressing. The day we filmed at the school, with 700 children and their parents, I was interrogated: They wanted to know what I was filming, why, and how. In Iran, all filmmakers are under surveillance, myself included. Some resist by stopping work altogether. In my case, throwing in the towel would accomplish nothing. People talk a lot about the headscarf, but you have to overcome so many obstacles to make a film. Years ago, if you were caught with a VHS tape, you risked prison. Little by little, the authorities have relaxed their stance on this issue. I hope it will be the same with the headscarf.
Reuters
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Iran's Roustaee concerned about return home despite cautious Cannes film
CANNES, France, May 23 (Reuters) - Iranian filmmaker Saeed Roustaee said on Friday that he was careful in how he shot his Cannes Film Festival entry "Woman and Child", which never shows women without the mandatory hijab, but was still unsure how he would be received when he returned home. "Last time, they took my passport," said the 35-year-old about his last appearance at the festival in southern France, for competition title "Leila's Brothers" in 2022. "This time, I hope they don't. I just want to go home." Roustaee had also been handed a six-month suspended sentence over that film for showcasing it without Tehran's authorisation. The director said that facing a sentence places a heavy burden not only on the person, but all their friends and family. "Maybe you can handle it yourself, but when you see that your elderly parents can't, it hurts more," he told journalists. His new film, "Woman and Child," stars Parinaz Izadyar as single mother Mahnaz, whose decision to marry her boyfriend Hamid kicks off a series of events culminating in tragedy. Roustaee obtained a permit for the new film, because without it, there was no way he was going to be able to shoot, he said. "I don't know to what extent I'm self-censoring, but ultimately, I live in Iran," the director said. "I'm making films in Iran, and I very much want people to see my films on the big screen. So probably, I am observing certain boundaries so that my films can make it to the screen." "Woman and Child," which premiered on Thursday, is one of two Iranian films competing for the Palme d'Or top prize this year, the other being "It Was Just An Accident" by Jafar Panahi. Panahi, who does not apply for government approval, also plans to return to Iran to begin work on his new film even though he only recently was allowed to travel after 15 years. In total, 22 films are competing for the award this year.
