"Az pase borghe," or "The Other Side of the Burka," as this documentary is known in English, is a very poignant story of how fanaticism combined with poverty always leads to oppression, particularly of women. Shot on the southern Iranian island of Qeshm in the Persian Gulf, it shows how women must endure wearing a "burka." This is a leather mask that presses against the eyebrows and nose and ends just above the mouth. The documentary begins with the funeral of a young woman who hangs herself from a fan. Interviewing the dead woman's husband, family and then friends, filmmaker Mehrdad Oskouel, gradually weaves together the story of how the women of the island are fighting an constant battle for their dignity, their beauty and their very survival. This documentary is another example of how Iran's film industry is willing to tackle any issue. If I'm not mistaken, "The Other Side of the Burka" has deservedly won several international awards.
2 Reviews
Worth the watching.
dumarest-310 November 2005
This is a difficult film to watch. It is not the best subtitled, as I saw it, and a lot of what we saw, as Americans, was not understood, but the status of women in Iran as shown is well worth the watching. I had to go to the net to understand the details, and yet ... and yet ... this is well worth watching to see what the status of women in Islam may be. I have never see those masks on women before, and it appalled me.
I understand the guidelines of the site on lines of comment, and my comment is not that long, and yet as I write it there is not more to add to make it useful to others who may look at this.
I understand the guidelines of the site on lines of comment, and my comment is not that long, and yet as I write it there is not more to add to make it useful to others who may look at this.
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