Divorce - Iranian Style

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"What is the legal age to marry, I'm just 16" - Ziba, a divorce applicant. 

"When a girl reaches puberty, when she is 9" - Justice Deldar.

Courtesy of Channel 4 (used without permission). The 1998 production is a hilarious, yet tragically stirring fly-on-the-wall look at several weeks in an Iranian divorce [Sharia] court that provides a unique window into the intimate circumstances of the lives of Iranian women.

Following Jamileh, whose husband beats her, 16 year Ziba, is trying to divorce her 38 year old husband and lastly Maryam, who is desperately fighting to gain custody of her daughters. This deadpan chronicle showcases the strength, ingenuity, and guile with which they confront biased laws, a Kafakaesque administrative system, and their husbands' and families' rage to gain divorces. 

With the barest of commentary, director Kim Longinotto turns her cameras on the court for the story. Dispelling images of Iran as a country of war, hostages, and Iranian women as passive victims of a terrible system, this film is a subtle and fascinating look at their lives. 

Though the legal system is male oriented, this film disproves any stereotypical image of Iranian women being docile pushovers in a country that is little known.

(Advanced appreciation is rendered for materials used without express permission of copyright owners – Tommy Peters - April 9th 2011)

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