To compare this movie to Boys Don't Cry isn't completely fair; there is no transgender character in this film. However, in both films, the gritty, small-town narrow-mindedness threatens the main character, the cinematography is impressive, and themes of love and survival weave throughout.
In this story, the main character (Fariba) is punished for being gay in her home country of Iran (and being in a relationship with a married woman), and flees to small-town Germany, finding work illegally as a man in a factory (for reasons that would take too long to explain). As a man ("Siamak"), she attracts a lot of attention because she is a foreigner and of small stature. One of the racist/boorish factory workers (Uwe) antagonizes "Siamak," especially once "Siamak" starts to fall for Uwe's ex-girlfriend, Anne. In order to survive, Fariba has to navigate the secrets and lies she has been forced to create for survival, as well as the love she begins to find with Anne.
This movie is obscure and not well-known, but the script is solid, the acting is excellent, the characters are well-written, and the style/cinematography is great. "Lesbian" film or not, this gripping drama about love and its cost in an unjust world is worth watching.
In this story, the main character (Fariba) is punished for being gay in her home country of Iran (and being in a relationship with a married woman), and flees to small-town Germany, finding work illegally as a man in a factory (for reasons that would take too long to explain). As a man ("Siamak"), she attracts a lot of attention because she is a foreigner and of small stature. One of the racist/boorish factory workers (Uwe) antagonizes "Siamak," especially once "Siamak" starts to fall for Uwe's ex-girlfriend, Anne. In order to survive, Fariba has to navigate the secrets and lies she has been forced to create for survival, as well as the love she begins to find with Anne.
This movie is obscure and not well-known, but the script is solid, the acting is excellent, the characters are well-written, and the style/cinematography is great. "Lesbian" film or not, this gripping drama about love and its cost in an unjust world is worth watching.