The Day I Became a Woman

Infobox Film
name = The Day I Became a Woman


image_size =
caption = Movie poster
director = Marzieh Meshkini
producer = Mohsen Makhmalbaf
writer = Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Marzieh Meshkini
narrator =
starring =
music = Ahmad Reza Darvish
cinematography = Mohamad Ahmadi
Ebrahim Ghafori
editing = Maysam Makhmalbaf
Shahrzad Pouya
distributor = Olive Films (U.S.)
released = September 1 2000 (Italy)
September 9 2000 (Canada)
November 2 2000 (UK)
January 16 2001 (USA)
June 16 2001 (Australia)
runtime = 78 mins.
country = Iran
language = Persian
budget = $180,000 (estimated)
gross = $344,235 (USA sub-total)
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website = http://www.thedayibecameawoman.com/
amg_id = 1:220942
imdb_id = 0260332

"The Day I Became a Woman" ( _fa. Roozi ke zan shodam,روزی که زن شدم) is a 2000 award-winning Iranian drama film directed by Marzieh Meshkini. It tells three stories, each depicting a different stage in the lives of Iranian women. It premièred at the 2000 Venice Film Festival and won several festival awards during 2000. Critical response was positive with some calling it "Felliniesque".

Plot

The film tells three different stories about women struggling for identity in Iran. [Citation
last = Harrison
first = Eric
title = The Day I Became a Woman
newspaper = Houston Chronicle
date = 2004-05-19
url =http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/movies/906030.html
accessdate = 2008-03-08 ] Hava is a young girl who, on her ninth birthday, is told by her mother and grandmother that she has become a woman. She may no longer play with her best friend, a boy, and must wear a chador when outside the home. Deciding that Hava was born in the middle of the day, her mother decides to let her postpone her fate until noon. Hava plays with her friend, waiting for the shadow to disappear from a stick pushed upright into the ground.cite web
title = About the Film
publisher = Official site
url = http://www.thedayibecameawoman.com/
accessdate =2008-03-08 ]

Ahoo is a married woman who is taking part in a cycling race. Ahead of the rest, Ahoo is pursued by her husband on horseback. He tries to persuade her to stop cycling and come home, and then threatens her with divorce. When Ahoo defiantly continues cycling, her husband brings a mullah who divorces them. Later, tribal superiors and male family members come to stop Ahoo as she tries to escape the social constraints of being a woman.

Hoora is an elderly widow who has recently inherited a great deal of money. She decides to buy all of the material possessions she has ever wanted, but could not have while she was married. She ties strings to her fingers to remind her what to buy, and hires several young boys to help her. They take her and her new belongings to the beach. As she floats out to a waiting ship, seemingly free from the bonds of womanhood, she is watched by two of the young women from the bicycle race, and Hava, now wearing her chador.

Cast

* Fatemeh Cherag Akhar as Hava
* Hassan Nebhan as Hassan
* Shahr Banou Sisizadeh as Mother
* Ameneh Passand as Grandmother
* Shabnam Toloui as Ahoo
* Sirous Kahvarinegad as Husband
* Mahram Zeinal Zadeh as Osmann
* Norieh Mahigiran as Rival Cyclist
* Azizeh Sedighi as Hoora
* Badr Iravani as Young Boy

Production

The film was co-written by director Marzieh Meshkini, from a script by her husband Mohsen Makhmalbaf. [Citation
last = Gleiberman
first = Owen
author-link = Owen Gleiberman
title = Women In Black
newspaper = Entertainment Weekly
date = 2001-04-20
url = http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,280932,00.html
accessdate=2008-03-08] It was shot on Kish Island in the Hormozgān Province in southern Iran.Citation
last = Young
first = Deborah
title = The Day I Became a Woman
newspaper = Variety
date = 2000-09-18
url = http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117788113.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&query=Day+i+became+a+woman
accessdate=2008-03-08] Makhmalbaf was on the island at the same time, shooting "Testing Democracy".cite book
last = Rosenbaum
first = Jonathan
authorlink = Jonathan Rosenbaum
title = Essential Cinema: On the Necessity of Film Canons
publisher = JHU Press
year = 2004
pages = 281
url = http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=l0mo02cmZaQC
isbn = 0801878403] Some commentators have suggested that Makhmalbaf was the real director of "The Day I Became a Woman" (as well as the films of his daughters). Critic Jonathan Rosenbaum has argued against these claims. Meshkini has said that as a female filmmaker, she found making a film in Iran particularly difficult, having to prove her abilities to the cast and crew before being accepted by them. [Citation
title = ArtsEtc: Answer The Questions - Marziyeh Meshkini: "I had to try"
newspaper = The Independent
date = 2002-01-20
url =http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20020120/ai_n9669271
accessdate =2008-03-09 ]

Distribution and reception

"The Day I Became a Woman" premièred at the 2000 Venice Film Festival. It went on to play at several festivals including the Toronto Film Festival, the London Film Festival and the New York New Directors and New Films Festival. It was given a limited release in American theatres on April 6 2001. On its release in Iran, it was temporarily banned.

The film won awards at the Venice Film Festival, the Toronto Film Festival, the Thessaloniki Film Festival, the Pusan International Film Festival, the Oslo Films from the South Festival and the Chicago International Film Festival.

Critical response to the film was generally positive. Film review site Rotten Tomatoes gave it a score of 87% based on 55 reviews. [cite web
title = The Day I Became A Woman (2001)
publisher = Rotten Tomatoes
url = http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/m/day_i_became_a_woman/
accessdate =2008-03-08 ] Metacritic gave it a score of 84% based on 24 reviews.cite web
title = Day I Became a Woman, The
publisher = Metacritic
url = http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/dayibecameawoman
accessdate =2008-03-08 ] Writing for the "New York Times", Stephen Holden called it a "stunner of a film" and "an astonishing directorial debut".Citation
last = Holden
first = Stephen
author-link = Stephen Holden
title = The Day I Became A Woman — Outrun Fate? Not for Iranian Women
newspaper = New York Times
date = 2001-03-24
url = http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A07E3D7153CF937A15750C0A9679C8B63
accessdate=2008-03-08] He said that leaving characters' backgrounds and motives unexplored makes the film enigmatic. Roger Ebert said that the three stories lack "the psychological clutter of Western movies", describing this fact as a strength.Citation
last = Ebert
first = Roger
author-link = Roger Ebert
title = The Day I Became A Woman
newspaper = Chicago Sun-Times
date = 2001-04-06
url = http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20010406/REVIEWS/104060303/1023
accessdate=2008-03-08] In the "Boston Phoenix", Chris Fujiwara said that the film was "largely successful, describing the second segment as the highlight, and calling the final story disappointing. [Citation
last = Fujiwara
first = Chris
title = Female trouble — Marziyeh Meshkini’s auspicious debut
newspaper = Boston Phoenix
date = April 2001
url = http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/movies/documents/01189086.htm
accessdate=2008-03-08] In "The New Yorker", Michael Sragow called the film "fierce, inspired filmmaking". [Citation
last = Sragow
first = Michael
author-link = Michael Sragow
title = The Day I Became a Woman
newspaper = The New Yorker
date = 2005-03-21
url = http://www.newyorker.com/arts/reviews/film/the_day_i_became_a_woman_meshkini
accessdate=2008-03-08] Several critics described it as "Felliniesque".

References

External links

* [http://www.thedayibecameawoman.com/ Official site]
*