Inversion (Persian: وارونگی) is a 2016 Iranian film directed by Behnam Behzadi. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.[1][2]

Inversion
Film poster
Directed byBehnam Behzadi
Written byBehnam Behzadi
StarringAli Mossafa
Sahar Dolatshahi
Setareh Hosseini
Setareh Pesyani
Shirin Yazdanbakhsh
Roya Javidnia
Release date
  • 18 May 2016 (2016-05-18) (Cannes)
Running time
84 minutes
CountryIran
LanguagePersian

Plot

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At the age of 35, Niloofar lives alone with her mother in Teheran, but as air pollution grips the Iranian capital, her family decides to move her to the countryside for the matriarch's well-being, without her consent. Used to submitting to the demands of others, this time she decides to stand up to them.[3][4]

Historical background

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In November 2016, air pollution in Tehran was so bad that the authorities ordered schools to close and the most sensitive populations, such as children and the elderly, to stay at home. The film refers to the orders issued by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who, in response to the international sanctions imposed on Iran's nuclear program, ordered refineries to produce low-quality gasoline, in defiance of environmental standards.[5] These measures led to the deadly smog that hit the country a few years later.[6]

Director Behnam Behzadi uses the metaphor of unbreathable air to paint the portrait of a woman in struggle, in the midst of conquering her own space of freedom.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "2016 Cannes Film Festival Announces Lineup". IndieWire. 14 April 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  2. ^ "Cannes 2016: Film Festival Unveils Official Selection Lineup". Variety. 14 April 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  3. ^ Julien Gester (18 May 2018). "Un vent de liberté : Exil et vexations". next.liberation.fr/ (in French).
  4. ^ Serge Kaganski (14 July 2017). "Une Iranienne veut affirmer ses choix. Un film d'une grande finesse, avec des acteurs remarquables". www.lesinrocks.com (in French).
  5. ^ "Un vent de liberté : Téhéran, la ville où les femmes peinent à respirer". www.courrierinternational.com (in French). 18 July 2017.
  6. ^ Saeed Kamali Dehghan (15 November 2016). "Tehran shuts schools as thick smog is linked to hundreds of deaths". www.theguardian.com.
  7. ^ Corinne Renou-Nativel (18 July 2017). "Un vent de liberté : une vie pour Niloofar". www.la-croix.com (in French).
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