mlitvak

[mlitvak]

من یک فیلم دیدم

On December 3, 2020, I decided to watch a well-regarded Persian short film called روتوش‎, or “Retouch.” The film was produced by Iranian director Kaveh Mazaheri and has won three Academy Awards at the Tribeca, Palm Springs ShortFest, and Krakow film festivals. In short, the film was about a woman in Iran who was stuck in an aimless routine working as a retouch artist and caring for her child and husband. The film shows her choice to watch her husband die rather than save him, and follows her emotionless day afterward. The title, Retouch, stems from the woman’s job, but more importantly, from the idea that the woman is given the pivotal opportunity to “retouch” her life. She could either remain unhappy saving her husband or she can save herself by gaining freedom from her marriage. 

I enjoyed the film. Although the content seemed unusual at first, the woman’s composure and silent struggle to complete her trivial, daily tasks expose how gender norms in Iran diminish the meaning of life for women. Through her initial uncertainty with her feelings about the death and her eventual satisfaction, the film corroborated my preconceptions of how the traditional Iranian roles for women as the obedient caretaker are unfortunately still relevant today. But, further, how they need to be somehow adjusted. I was surprised that the government did not censor the film because of this message. 

In the US, although the general consensus is that women do not belong solely in the house, there are exceptions and many still do not see women as capable of holding positions of great power such as working as politicians 

-ML

Mazaheri, Kaveh. “Retouch.” Vimeo, 21 May 2019, vimeo.com/337620213.