The Day I Became a Woman 2000

      This film contains three interconnected vignettes that depict women at three stages of their lives in Iran.  The first part centers on a young girl on her ninth birthday.  She is told that she can no longer play with the boys she usually played with only the day before because she is now a woman.  It is told from the perspective of the 9-year-old girl who does not feel like or know what the word "woman" means?  We see how devastatingly this affects both the girl and the boy who has been her friend.  She is now forced to wear the chador and enter into enforced modesty.
 
     The second part is about a young woman who decides to enter a bicycle race against her husband's wishes.  Ahoo is not riding alone wearing her chador but there are many women in the race.  At first, her husband and then increasing numbers of men from her village ride beside her on horseback to convince her to return home.  The race begins to symbolize a freedom that she desperately wants from the limitations that have been placed on her.  Finally, the third part shows us an elderly woman who has come into some money and she is now free to do what she wants.  The way she chooses to use this money reflects on how she has lived her life.

     Meshkini shows the typical life style in the Makhmalbaf house.  She demonstrates this with a light and personal touch.  Her movie has a dreamy surrealism but it is firmly grounded in the waking world.  There is an urgent advocacy for women's rights and this has not been considered fashionable or relevant in European or Anglophone cinema for many years.  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

74 min, comedy directed and written by Marzieh Makhmalbag and also written by Mohsen Makhmalbag with Fatemeh Cherag Akhar, Hassan Nebhan, Shahr Banou Sisizadeh, Ameneh Passand, Shabnan Toloui, Sirous Kahvarinegad, Moharram Zaynalzadeh, Norieh Mahigiran, Azizeh Sedighi, Badr Iravani.

Note:  Imdb 7.3* out of 10* with 1639 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 88% with 59 critic reviews 83% audience scores with 500+ ratings, Roger Ebert 3 1/2*, reelingreviews.com Grade B, Metacritic 84 out of 100 with 24 critic reviews,  Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 13 ratings.

Special Note:  This is the first film directed by Marzieh Makhamalbaf.

Mistakes:  In the first sequence, the lollipop that Hava and Hassan pass between them grows and shrinks in size without regard to the passage of time.

Quotes:  Spoken by Osmann:  Ahoo, why have you become rebellious?  Have you had too much sun?  Get off that!  What you're riding is not a bicycle.  It's the devil's work!  Get off that bike, dear. You really shouldn't be riding it.  Spoken by Grandmother:  You mustn't play with Hasan or any boy.  You're all grown up now.  You have to cover up your hair from now on.  Hava, come on down. Come on down.  You're a woman now.  You can't go on the roof.  You can't play with boys any longer.  Spoken by a young boy:  Tell me exactly what you need, madam.  Then I'll take you to the right place.  Spoken by Hoora:  Household goods, you know.  Household goods.  Top priority is a fridge which I've never had.  All my life I wanted cold water.  Now which one was it?  Ah, this one was the fridge.  Let's buy that first.