'The Persian Version' Is More Than A Rom-com
Neither a rom-com nor a drama, The Persian Version is a delightful look into Iranian family culture that exceeds beyond categorization. Filmmaker Maryam Keshavarz directs a family portrait that's hilarious and heartbreaking. It looks into family trauma through a comedic lens (for the most part). The subject matters of homophobia, xenophobia, and parental mental abuse are examined through a lighter perspective than what a film tackling such heavy subject matter would usually take.
Leila (Layla Mohammadi) is known as the family "f**k up." She resides in Brooklyn, takes care of her grandmother, and goes to film school in hopes of one day becoming a movie director. Leia's mother, Shireen (Niousha Noor), is ashamed of her daughter for not pursuing a successful career in becoming something prestigious like a doctor. The father of the family is a doctor himself, which is how the family immigrated to America in the first place. With the U.S. in need of doctors, Ali Reza Jamshidpour (Bijan Daneshmand) brings his family across seas in the hope of a better life.
The movie juxtaposes itself between modern day and the past frequently. Sometimes, too frequently as the narrative can get messy and confusing. First, we start the story with the daughter. Then we follow the mother in the past, and then we go further in the past with the mother, but at a later time. Pretty confusing, right? Thank goodness I had a screener as I could rewind the film when I missed a vital piece of information.
Although confusing, the flashes to the past are necessary for the narrative to work. When Leila gets pregnant, Shireen shames her, mostly because she's dumbfounded since Leila is a lesbian who just happened to have a one-night stand with a man. At first, the movie depicts Shireen in a negative light. She tells her daughter she's ashamed of her and even kicks her out of Thanksgiving dinner. She's a whip-cracking hardass who constantly belittles her children. She doesn't support Leila as a filmmaker or a lesbian. She's a mom who's in desperate need of being supportive of all her children instead of singling one of them out. When the film flashes back to Shireen's story, we understand why she is the way she is.
Shireen is the definition of hard-working. She takes an eight-week course in being a real estate agent while also supporting her nine children. Shireen is a workhorse who has no time for the pleasant things in life. We see why Shireen leaves Iran (it's not just because her husband is a doctor) and why she's as hard on her kids as she is. By examining her past, the film goes from being a comedy to some very dark territory that could have sunk the film's tone if helmed under a different director.
Maryam Keshavarz perfectly balances funny and serious in a picture that's both heartwarming and hilarious. It's a look into a culture that most Americans would be unfamiliar with but can relate to. As a partial Greek American, I've found many similarities in food and music to Muslim culture. When I saw what Leila was making, I swore that it was a dish my relatives made. Films like this help break the cultural barrier between Muslim Americans and full, red-blooded, flag-waving patriots by making such a relatable family who shares the same struggles of a low to middle-class American family.
The second act of the film dives deep into the mother's story that's centered around a scandal that could break Leila's family apart yet draws them closer together. The more Leila learns about her mother, the more she respects her. When the film reaches its third act, we develop a large amount of empathy towards a mother who seems outwardly cruel. After encountering tremendous hardship, Shireen doesn't throw in the towel and quit but rather becomes a stronger person who can roll with the punches.
Most movies wouldn't show things from the mom's perspective. Instead, they would partially vilify her. Granted, they'd have the same outcome and conclusions that most comedies about an overpowering parent would have. But Maryam Keshavarz goes deeper, looking more into the parent than the child. The Persian Version is more about the mother than the daughter but settles on the daughter in the end, bringing everything full circle. Through cinematic elegance, Keshavarz molds a highly effective story about family generations facing adversity but coming out on top and respecting each other for who they are.
The Persian Version played as part of the Chicago International Film Festival and is currently playing nationwide in theaters.
