‘180° Rule’ speaks for countless women whose only language is silence: Director Samadi
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Toronto, Sep 23 (Canadian-Media): Directed and screen-played by Farnoosh Samadi, and filmed in Iran, ‘180° Rule’, is a family drama providing a glimpse into the customary Iranian family structure with universal notions of remorse and penance.
The plot of the story is about Sara (Sahar Dolatshahi), a school teacher from Tehran, preparing to attend a wedding in northern Iran with her husband Hamed (Pejman Jamshidi), and their five-year-old daughter, Raha when suddenly an unexpected work obligation for Hamed jeopardies their plan to proceed.
Sara’s plan to proceed with her daughter on her own for a long journey is rejected by Hamed. Being determined to join the celebration, Sara devises a plan to defy her husband’s authority and leaves home with her daughter. But an unforeseeable event changes the family’s fortune and leaves the pair in grave conflict and threatens every minute of Sara’s future.
With the late realization that stealth and calculated choices are no longer possible, Sara finds herself on a painful path to atonement.
Focusing on personal, small moments that make big differences and perhaps change lives, Samadi in this film turns intimate, seemingly a trivial moment into a showcase of female oppression.
The film was shot in 44 sessions in quite a few places, said Samadi to Dorota Lech, Tiff Curator of Central & Eastern Cinema as well as the lead programmer of the Discovery, during a virtual conversation with her, and added it was difficult to find the right place, for example, the jungle and looked at most of Iran.
She said that in her first draft of the script she wanted snow and then realized that it was difficult to shoot during snowing days and canceled that draft and wrote again. But in the end, said Samadi that they found a place which was not snowing for 15 years and decided to shoot there.
While shooting the best scene, said Samadi, in which earlier she wanted the viewers to see the snow, it started snowing. She said to Lech, “Maybe this is the gift from God for my movie.”
Samadi’s directional debut, ‘180° Rule’ brings to the surface that in Tehran ideals and values are impossible to change particularly when it comes to women’s place in a patriarchal society that believes its moral responsibility to exert influence over women. Being accustomed to life so unfair that it has become escape less, Sara faces both physical and emotional abuse but she neither revolts fights back, nor seeks revenge due to fear.
Focusing her lens on the plight of Sara, Samadi makes the audience aware of the trials of being born a woman in a country where desire and rituals are often poles apart.
But being unwilling to stop playing by society’s rules, Samadi portrays Sara as a completely believable character that represents the reality of millions of women and speaks for countless women whose only language is silence.
Born in Iran, Farnoosh Samadi graduated from the Fine Arts Academy in Rome. She directed the short films The Silence (16), Gaze (17), and The Role (18). 180° Rule (20) is her first feature.
Produced by Ali Mosaffa in his production company Ali Mosaffa, and Executive Produced by Mahan Heidary.
The casts of the film are Sahar Dolatshahi, Pejman Jamshidi, Azita Hajian, Hassan Pourshirazi, Amirreza Ranjbaran, Sadaf Asgari, Mohammad Heidari, Aylin Jahed.
Cinematography is done by Masoud Salami, and editing by Meisam Molaei.