THE UNWANTED WOMAN
Iran, 2005, 103 minutes, Colour.
Marila Zareie, Amin Hayayi.
Directed by Tahmineh Milani.
The Unwanted Woman is a drama from one of Iran’s pre-eminent women directors, Tamineh Milani, who made such films as The Hidden Half and the feminist critique of male Muslim society, The Fifth Reaction.
The film opens rather daringly with a prologue where a contemporary teacher is talking with teenagers about their expectations. They are very critical of the regime and remember the times of their parents, during the Shah’s pre-revolutionary period, when women were able to be more forthcoming and to appear more feminine, especially with clothes and make-up. The film then shifts its attention to the teacher and her irresponsible husband. He wants to meet his mistress - and his wife insists on going with him. When they are stranded at a motel, there is news of a landslide that keeps travellers in a local hotel but also of a murder in the vicinity, a man murdering his wife in vengeance.
Unable to sleep in the middle of the night, the teacher encounters the murderer, discusses his actions with him, is forced to reflect on herself – and she eludes the police and takes the killer who is also a teacher to a refuge. In the morning, there is a confrontation between the teacher and her husband, the mistress – and the murderer. It ends in death – but it also creates a bond between the two women, especially seeing the reality of the husband’s behaviour. They leave together.
The film is interesting in its intelligent portrait of the teacher. However, it moves into high melodrama in the latter part of the film, especially the final confrontation. Despite this, it is an interesting comment of the early 21st century by a woman director on the traditions expected of Islamic men and of Islamic women.
1. A film of Iranian society? Men and women, marriage, divorce, violence? An Iranian feminist film? The perspective of a woman director?
2. The Teheran settings, the school, the home? On the road, the desert and the mountains? The motel? The night sequences? The atmospheric musical score?
3. The title, the reference to Sima? Unwanted by her husband, society? Herself?
4. The prologue in the schoolroom, the girls, their age, teenagers, their modern comments, their comments on their parents, the more traditional dress contrasted with the past? Their wanting to be independent? Sima as listening to them and their admiration for her? The setting of the tone for Sima as a teacher, educated, able to relate to people?
5. Sima at home, her husband going in and out – and the mystery that she had married him in the first place? Her daughter?
6. Amad, his appearance, his business, the complete contrast with his wife? His story about Saba, wanting to help her? His having to go off?
7. Sima, at home, her husband despising her? Her support of her daughter? Her decision to go with Amad? The journey, his excuses? The meeting with Saba, Sima’s suspicions? The story about Saba being a helpless widow, her property, his needing to help?
8. The scene in the bar, the young couple, the brutality of the man, the young girl? Saba and Sima not wanting her to go with him? The irony of seeing them later, the girl as a runaway, the man arrested? Saba signalling to the young girl that she should escape? The film’s parallel and comment on the older couple?
9. Saba, her background, her later explanation of her life, her marriage at a young age, the brutal husband, drugs and drink, his death? His prostituting her? Her meeting Amad at the party, his talk about his wife, her not wanting to steal him away from his wife, her reliance on him for support? Her going along with his plan, the shock of meeting Sima, her silence in the car, Sima’s contempt for her? The change during the confrontation with the teacher and the gun, her turning against Amad after learning the truth, her support of Sima? Her willingness to die? Her going away with Sima and her daughter to a future?
10. Sima, her understanding of her husband, the road blockage and their having to stay at the motel, accommodation, the dormitory effect, the news of the teacher who had killed his wife and her lover?
11. Sima, midnight, going out to the car, the encounter with the policeman that she had met earlier, his story of his family, his sympathetic helping her? The meeting with the teacher, her deciding to hide him? Having to give her papers, the changing of the tyre, giving the soldiers the biscuits? The encounter and discussion with the teacher, hiding him? Driving him? Her trying to understand what had happened, listening to his story, her feeling the same way, the tradition of the injured party doing violence to the hurting party? Her leaving the teacher at the hut? The promise to return?
12. The road open, the group able to continue on their journey, her sleeping late and peacefully? Her change, strength of character, confronting Amad? The story about the car, his not believing her? The argument, his being hurt and putting on a tantrum? Their going to the hut, it being empty – and the presence of the teacher? The gun? The drive, the confrontation out in the open? Sima and her support of the teacher, her denunciation of Amad? The daughter in the car, watching? The fight, the teacher’s death? Amad and his not wanting to take the blame, Sima and her decision to take her daughter, go with Saba? Her future, an unwanted woman who had found her strength of character?
13. The portrait of Amad, his clothes, moustache, his trying to be one of the boys? The phone calls and the deals? His treatment of his wife, his daughter? His later story about his being married at twenty, wanting to go out and party, feeling constrained? His brazenness in setting up Saba? The journey, the motel, the drive in the morning, his spurning of Sima? The confrontation with the teacher, the shooting? His wanting to escape blame, his breaking down, the women leaving him – to what future?
14. The teacher, his story, his confrontation with Sima, her hiding him, taking him to the hut? His story, his being hurt, the rumours about his wife, his loving her, shooting her and the lover? The later argument about whether he had listened to his wife, his acting on suspicions – and the reality of what had happened, the possibility that the wife might have been breaking off with the lover, their being killed out in the open? The effect on him of having killed them? His confrontation with Amad, telling him the truth? Their struggle and his death?
15. The melodramatic tone of the film – background for a serious portrait of an unwanted woman, coming to terms with herself, her husband, her future?
