An Iranian singer risks everything to escape the country. | Forbidden to See Us Scream In Tehran

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Forbidden to See Us Scream In Tehran is used with permission from Farbod Ardebili. Learn more at http://omele.to/3q8ixhx.

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Shima is the frontwoman of a death metal band in Iran, where Western music has been forbidden and women themselves are banned from singing solo in any genre of music. Yet she continues to pursue her passion, even as women are harassed for not covering up enough in the streets of her city.

The band's drummer proposes that they put on an underground metal concert, which will get them arrested and allow them to apply for political asylum in a country where they will be free. Shima says no at first. But when she realizes her beloved Deaf younger sister Sherin has no real future in Iran, she decides to risk it all in hopes of a better life.

Written and directed by Farbod Ardebili from his personal experiences as a musician and filmmaker in Iran, this transfixing, powerful dramatic short captures the personal pain and risk of a repressive political reality, married to a deeply felt story of familial love and creative passion.

It begins with a single long take following a young woman as she walks through the streets of Tehran. As she walks quickly, viewers hear another girl being harangued forebodingly by men about how she is dressed. The woman we follow walks past quickly until she is hurried through a door, where she enters a dark, dimly lit basement where a band is rehearsing. The woman then joins the rehearsal, letting out an unearthly howl as part of the music.

The opening shot sets up both the thematic terrain of the film as well as the obstacles that the lead singer faces. It also is the hallmark of the film's expressionistic aesthetic, full of saturated, strongly contrasting colors, bold movement and stylish grit. Both work together in a satisfying, compelling combination of finely knit writing and clear, strong emotion, capturing a corner of the world in a visceral, unforgettable narrative.

Actors Mohadeseh Kharaman as Shima and Sarina Amiri as her sister have a believable bond and connection, and they convincingly portray the intense love and loyalty between siblings. As Shima, Kharaman captures a modern, intelligent, driven young woman, constrained by the harshly narrow dictates of a repressive country. She has charisma and glamour, but her country requires her to be silent and submissive to the law. But most movingly, she deeply loves her sister, played by Deaf actress Amiri in her first role. That love is the burning force that drives Shima to make her fateful decision -- one that has devastating consequences, both intended and otherwise.

Richly powerful and bold as its lead character, "Forbidden to See Us Scream In Tehran" has a unique, compelling production story. Shot in Tehran, the director (who lives in exile in the U.S.) oversaw the entire shoot remotely over WhatsApp. And like Shima and her band, many of the cast and crew risked their safety to make art and be heard. The mirroring of creative passion both on and off-screen makes for an intensely felt and personal story gripping in its plot, world and characters. But it is also gripping in its conviction that it is a fundamental right for human beings to be heard -- and how people deprived of this will go to almost any length to achieve it, for themselves and others.

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An Iranian singer risks everything to escape the country. | Forbidden to See Us Scream In Tehran
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