Women Without Men

Impressive and poetic film debut by renowned Iranian visual artist Shirin Neshat, who made a film version of the banned novel by Shahrnush Parsipur, narrating the fate of four women against the background of the 1953 coup d’état in Iran.

Magic-realistic Women without Men links the women’s awkward position to the political situation in Iran. The lives of four Iranian women come together in the summer of 1953, a crucial moment in Iranian history when democratically elected president Mossadegh is brought down and the Persian Shah, backed by the United States and Great Britain, returns to power. Weary, the women meet in an idyllic, metaphoric orchard, where at last they find independence, relief and friendship. Where they can reflect on their lives and get away from the political and social oppression. The camera sheds light on their existence against the background of the superb Iranian landscape.