“You know that in Tehran, no one rents houses to widows, pet owners or drug addicts,” said the real estate agent, taunting Mina (Maryam Moghadam), who works in a factory. of milk and looking for a house to rent to him. The owner gave up his days Just to get away. Mina lost her husband after her execution and had to take care of her deaf son. Mina’s problem is not just at home. The father of his late wife threatened to take his daughter from him “because he could no longer take care of her”, while his wife’s brother indicated that he would marry so that Mina could return to the “family”.

From the Song of the White Cow.

In the midst of all this, Mina struggles to clear the name of her deceased husband in a country that sometimes imposes the death penalty because it is “God’s will”, as she is told. She meets Reza (Ali Reza Thani Far) who offers to help her, claiming to be her husband’s friend. Mina smiled again, her lips flushed to confess to someone who was also experiencing deep emptiness. There is no need to shout “Song of the White Cow” (2020), directed by Mariam Al Miqdad and Bikhtas Sanayha, to show the shocking truth, true story and suffering of one of the director’s families. Like other contemporary Iranian films, tolerance is one of its main themes. In this case, forgiveness is the woman’s struggle to get the government to acknowledge its guilt in hanging her husband. But The Song of the White Cow is not exclusively devoted to this story, but rather aims to provide a broader picture of the general situation of women in Iran. In optical and dramatic settings, the camera follows Mina’s life in Tehran’s familiar and bureaucratic space.

Great in terms of storytelling and acting, but a bit shaky in the end

Actress and director Maryam Al-Mikdad, along with her husband, produced a film that condemned all at once, and reflected on many ethical and official problems, social and personal contradictions, from capital punishment, guilt and indulgence up to a major misunderstanding of “an eye for an eye.” about the white cow ”is good in terms of storytelling and acting, but a little lame at the end. The film arouses interest, sympathy and legitimate resentment at the real hardship women face. The absence of music, the use of white, black, gray and a fixed camera – elements that create a feeling of frost due to the coldness of society. All the characters move within a limited area, as if in a cage and ready to face each other face to face. Mina’s helplessness leads her not very far from justice: a confession of guilt, a denial of compensation and an apology are only a small step toward correcting the irreversible.

* White Cow Ballad by MUBI