Powerful Veiled Visions in a Neo-patriarchal Iranian Cinema: A Study of TahmineMilani’s Fifth Reaction (2003)

Abstract

Films about ‘women’s issues’ and their importance in Iran have not been paid in-depth attention in scholarly works. These films are labeled as political as they challenge the institutions and values of patriarchy in Iranian society. In recent years, Iranian women filmmakers have produced an impressive body of work and they have won a number of international awards. These filmmakers carved a niche despite all the restrictions imposed by patriarchal strictures. However, these filmmakers are still facing difficulties in making their films as the political fortunes of the conservatives and reformers continue to ebb and flow. TahmineMilani is one of the Iranian women filmmakers whose films directly address women’s problems in a patriarchal society. By providing an overview of the role of women in Iranian cinema and by examining TahmineMilani’s Fifth Reaction (2003), this paper sheds light on the role of Iranian women filmmakers and the status of women in Iran. We argue although it has been repeatedly said that Iranian women filmmakers can easily make films about women’s issues, there is still a tough hold on women’s cinema. We also argue that Iranian cinema has taken a form of neopatriarchy in which women filmmakers are still restricted and at times are not allowed to present women’s related issues such as political and social problems of women. In spite of all these vicissitudes, these women filmmakers still have a powerful presence in Iranian cinema.