| Show Melodrama overwhelms Woman Iran's Unwanted Kevin Crust Los Angeles Times When Iranian films broke through in the as one of the most invigorating of national cinemas the stories st ries tended to be beabout beabout beabout about children but filmmakers often used them to circumvent censorship and subversively subversively subversively criticize the revolution post-revolution fundamentalist fundamentalist fundamentalist funda funda- mentalist regime Unwanted Woman the latest film by prominent feminist director Milani some of whose earlier work had to tobe tobe tobe be smuggled out of Iran is very different from those films in its story of an unhappy wife's struggle to assert herself with a wayward husband Sima Merila is a year old teacher who trades and sells items to make ends meet while her strutting hua and Ahmad Amin looks for rich get-rich- quick schemes When he announces that he heis heis heis is driving a pretty young widow Elssa Firouz Azar from Tehran to her rural village village village vil vil- vil- vil lage Sima ima impulsively disobeys him and joins them as chaperon Her suspicions that things arent aren't what they seem climax in an encounter with a murderous wronged husband on the lam with whom she at once identifies Although fascinating in its depiction of a surprisingly Westernized slice of con contemporary contemporary temporary tem tem- life in Iran the film awkwardly with melodrama overwhelming overwhelming overwhelming over over- blends genres whelming Milani's attempts at social com com- Emotional Unwanted Woman violence Running time 1 hour 39 min min- utes |
