After a long day at work, and to get away from it all, I decide to treat myself to a movie. Once I get there, and as I am getting off the cab, I see a crowd of religious fundamentalists, opposing the screening of the movie, with signs in their hands. I am used to seeing these kinds of demonstrations, and after a while, I even remember the faces. Given the situation, I change my mind about going inside the theater, and think about getting a copy from a friend of mine. I calmly pass the demonstrators, trying to catch a cab, rolling into it, and without looking at the crowd once more, I leave.
I was curious to see the forbidden movie “I am a mother”, by Fereydoun Jeyrani,
After finally getting the movie from my friend’s store, I feel that curious excitement I usually do when watching banned movies! The adrenaline rush of a five year old doing something he/she is not supposed to! So as soon as I get home, without even changing, I pop the DVD in the receiver, and eagerly, start watching it.
The story unfolds around Ava (Baran Kosari), a woman on death row for manslaughter, after getting raped by and killing her father’s best friend in an act of rage. Throughout the movie, the story focuses on previous relationships, unsolved feelings, alcohol abuse and marriage infidelity, that although all common in movies these days, caused religious fundamentalists, to see it as disrespectful to their beliefs and calling it “sinful”. And all this, had caused a commotion, leading to finally banning the movie only days after it got screening permission.
Overall, the movie was missing some elements in getting its message across, which the creators blame it on all the censorship surrounding it. As a marriage counselor, as I always try to do before going to bed, I go through the cases for tomorrow, and four out of ten are about marriage infidelity. So much for trying to get away from it all!
By Arad Afshar
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