Indy Film Fest: The Girl's House (Khaneye Dokhtar)

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Set in modern-day Iran, “The Girl’s House” opens with Bahar (Pegah Ahangarani) and Parisa (Baran Kosari), two college-aged girls who are last-minute shoe-shopping for their friend Samira’s (Rana Azadivar) wedding. The wedding, which is scheduled for the following day, is to be a segregated wedding — one where the men and women are separated. Although a segregated wedding is unheard of in American culture, this little detail is our first introduction into some of the Islamic cultural beliefs prominent throughout this Persian film. Another example would be that the actresses wear hijabs — veils that cover the hair of post-pubescent Muslim women.

Following their shopping trip, Bahar and Parisa receive devastating news that their friend Samira has died. There are no details provided about Samira’s death, and the grieving friends set out to solve the mystery of what happened to their friend / classmate. The duo finds little solace from Samira’s father (Babak Karimi), who has no interest in speaking with them or consoling them. Instead, Samira’s father focuses his energy on blaming the bereaved fiancé, Mansour (Hamed Behdad). Tensions run high when these two are on screen together, and there is something foreboding about Mansour’s calm demeanor that makes the viewer wonder if foul play is involved.

The mystery of Samira’s death is revealed in a way that allows viewer to think about the cultural pressures that women in the Middle East face in relationships and marriage. Prior to watching the film, some of these were issues that I had heard about on “slow news days,” but not thought about extensively.

This film is enlightening, thought-provoking and well executed. Director Shahram Shah Hosseini does a fine job of telling the story in a way that does not seem preachy or condescending to viewers who may be unaware of the cultural pressures that exist half a world away.

“The Girl’s House” is an informative, beautifully shot film that is sure to spark some interesting post-film discussion for its viewers. It is playing during the Indy Film Festival

“The Girl’s House” screens at 11:30 a.m. EDT on Sunday, July 17 in the Toby Theater and at 3:15 p.m. EDT on Friday, July 22 in the Toby Theater located at the Indianapolis Museum of Art as part of the Indy Film Fest.