Trapped (2013) User Reviews

Loss of Innocence in Tehran

[corrosion-2 · 8/10 · 13 November 2013]

Trapped (Darband)is one of the better films in the recent Iranian cinema output. It features a stunning debut by the young actress Nazanin Bayati as Nazanin, an academically bright pupil from provinces who has just entered university in Tehran. She encounters difficulty in finding university accommodation but gets an offer from Sahar (Pegah Ahangarani), a happy go lucky girl working in a ladies makeup accessories shop. While Nazanin is trying to support herself by giving private tuition, Sahar is the polar opposite, partying all night and hanging out with dubious friends. Soon Nazanin is involved in Sahar's problems and the film enters the Farhadi territory of film making. The casting is one of the standout elements of Darband in which each character is perfectly cast. One of the main themes of the film is loss of innocence and that to survive in a big city like Tehran, academic intelligence is not enough and being street smart is an absolute necessity. Recommended.

The circle of life.

[DesiBaba · 8/10 · 20 April 2014]

We have all been through experiences where we betrayed someone or someone betrayed our trust. Like Nazanin tells Sahar in the cab back from the jail, "everyone has their reasons to". The movie tells story of the naive Nazanin, an ambitious, hard-working, and academically gifted student pursuing medical degree. Her naivete is taken advantage of by everyone; from the parents of the kids she tutors to her room-mate, Sahar, and her friend, Behrang. But Nazanin is a loyal friend, perhaps loyal to a fault. She goes through great lengths to save her friend Sehar but her loyalty is rewarded with a big betrayal. In fact, there is a circle of betrayal and trapping -- Zaheri to Sehar, Sehar to Nazanin, Nazanin to Hamid, and Hamid to Zaheri. All had their reasons, mostly justified reasons. In a way Nazanin's complete disregard for Hamid's generosity was a bigger betrayal than she received from Sehar. Hamid paid for it with his life. The movie was also a stark reminder of gender segregation that still exists there, especially in the provinces. The movie started slow but developed into a thrilling drama after the altercation between Nazanin and Sehar. I enjoyed it very much and would watch it again given the opportunity.