Tehran Taboo

This animated German-Austrian film about ‘taboos’ in Tehran makes for compelling and occasionally disturbing viewing – the more you watch it the more it becomes clear this is a film which, for the obvious reasons, could never have been made in Iran.

Tehran Taboo cleverly weaves together three different stories, all set in Iran’s capital though it quickly becomes clear that the key players are no ordinary citizens forced to endure the ultra-conservative restrictions of this Islamic society. Far from it, thanks to their independent and more liberal thinking they find themselves in a situation which could result in imprisonment or even execution.

Once can only assume that the rotoscoping animation technique was used as an only means to allow an honest insight into the more controversial and forbidden side of Tehran. Make no mistake, the overall result is as powerful as if it were depicted using live action. We start with single mum Pari (Elmira Rafizadeh) who is forced to work as a prostitute to make ends meet though her biggest challenge lies in looking after her young son Elias (Bila Yasar) – a mute boy. Pari’s husband serves time in the slammer for being a drug addict, meaning impoverished Pari tries in vain to get a divorce from the Islamic Revolutionary Court but falls on deaf ears. Eventually the hypocritical judge (Hasan Ali Mete) offers her a ‘deal’: Pari and her son can stay for free in one of the apartment he owns in exchange for sexual favours, and he shall decide on a whim if or when he will grant her a divorce (her imprisoned husband refuses to sign the papers).

In the same apartment block lives Sara (Zahra Amir Ebrahimi), a young and married woman who shares her existence not only with her husband but also with her in-laws. Outwardly, Sara seems respectable and observing the strict Islamic laws, she’s also pregnant again, having already miscarried twice. But deep inside Sara is unhappy as she feels restricted living with her well-meaning but conservative mother-in-law while also having to look after her ill father-in-law who suffers from diabetes. Sara wants nothing more than going to work (at least until the baby is born), however, her husband who has a successful career working in a bank forbids it. By chance Sara and Pari meet in the apartment block as they are neighbours and strike up a friendship. Pari lies that she works at night in the emergency ward of the local hospital but Sara soon senses that this might not be the case – nonetheless Pari is a welcome neighbour while Sara is intrigued by Pari’s liberal, strong-willed and independent demeanour – Allah forbid, Pari enjoys regular glasses of wine!

The third subplot involves Babak (Arah Marandi), a young and aspiring musician who likes to smoke dope and frequent Tehran’s underground nightclubs. He’s equally frustrated as he hopes for a record deal which is constantly denied due to the fact that his music doesn’t embrace Islamic values enough. During one outing in a club he encounters a young girl called Donya (Negar Mona Alizadeh)… she is drunk and he is high and soon one thing leads to another, meaning that once sober both find themselves in big trouble as Donya confesses that now that she lost her virginity to Babak, it will spell disaster for she is to wed another man in a few days. If Babak doesn’t raise money soon for an illegal operation to restore Donya’s virginity then both could be sentenced to death. Don’t you just love Islamic law?

As if the individual stories weren’t arresting enough things soon get even more gripping when the lives of the aforementioned characters not only intertwine but we can also expect a few twists…

Tehran Taboo provides insight into a world which is as alien to us as ours might be to their world. At the same time we are introduced to people who are (or would like to be) just like us but aren’t allowed to. If any more proof were needed that Islam, with all its backward religious restrictions and laws, really does belong to the Dark Ages than here it is!
Utterly compelling viewing and easily one of the best films in ages!