The Persian Versionstarts with Lelia (Mohammadi) at a costume party in a self-made Burkini.
Shes told to look after her grandmother as the young woman and her mother are not on good terms.
Being the only girl with eight brothers, shes considered the black sheep.
‘The Persian Version’Sundance Institute
so that do that, she must dig into her mothers past to determine the future of their family.
If the audience were only relying on editing, it would be easy to get lost.
The story is also aided by title cards to keep viewers on track.
This shift in focus makes it like an anthology than a cohesive film.
The troublesome moments linger at the conclusion of the film as Lelias personal struggles still arent resolved.
Understandable why its plotted this way, but its not executed with finesse.
Does Lelia really understand her mother and vice versa just because a child is now in the picture?
Or is Lelia still trying just her and put her own happiness aside.
The Persian Versionreminds me of Lulu WangsThe Farewell.
The films share similarities when it comes to examining family, history, celebration of life and sacrifice.
If nothing else, the film is an education because it peers into the lives of Iranian women.
