The Persian Version

English

This irreverent and joyous comedy was the recipient of the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival this year. In a festival packed with crowdpleasers, this is one that will stand above the rest, which will make you laugh, cry, and feel amazed by the strength and resilience of immigrant women. As a semi-autobiographical film, you can feel the honesty and the reality in every scene and every moment. It’s like the director is using this film as a form of therapy, and we, the audience, are her therapists as she tells us all about her crazy, messed up family, her traumas, and the events that made her who she is.

This is a film for all mothers and daughters. A story about the complexities (and oftentimes, the volatility) of that relationship. As Leila digs deeper into her mother’s story, something universal is discovered. None of us truly know our parents’ full stories. It is hard to fully grasp who our parents were before we were born, and the sacrifices they made to get us here. As we grow older, we may come to understand the choices that they made, and we will hopefully grow to appreciate the challenges and adversity that they overcame in the process. Maryam Keshavarz’s film is a celebration of family, an ode to motherhood, and a truly moving piece of work.