Marzieh Meshkini – Roozi ke zan shodam AKA The Day I Became a Woman (2000)

Synopsis:
This is the story of women at three stages of life in Iran. The first part centers on a young girl on her ninth birthday who is told that she can no longer play with the boys she had been playing with only the day before because she is now a “woman”. Told from the perspective of a nine year old “woman” who does not feel like or know what that label refers to, we see how devastatingly this affects both the girl and the boy with whom she had been friends. The second part is about a young woman who decides to enter a bicycle race against her husband’s wishes. As first the husband and then increasing numbers of men from the village ride beside her to convince her to return home, the race begins to symbolize a freedom she desperately wants from the limitations which have been placed on her. Finally, the third part shows us an old woman who has come into some money and is now free to do what she wants. The way she chooses to use this freedom, however, makes one wonder just how free she is.

Review:
Iranian director Marziyeh Meshkini’s film takes a poignant look at three generations of women. Comprised of three different, but vaguely linked stories, “The Day I Became a Woman” challenges the social and religious restrictions that Iranian culture imposes on its female members. Yet, instead of taking a heavy handed or even overtly political stance, Meshkini lets her film-making do all the work, crafting these lyrical, haunting episodes into wonderful stories, great pieces of cinema and, above all, warmly human works.

The first story gives the film its title. Hava (Akhar) turns nine and, in accordance with Islamic law, becomes a woman. She has just one hour left to say goodbye to her friend before she must return home to a life of seclusion. In the second story, an older girl enters a bicycle race. Ignoring the angry relatives who follow her on horseback, she keeps pedalling. In the third episode, an elderly woman goes on an absurd spending spree, setting up her possessions on the beach.

Winner of a raft of awards from film festivals as diverse as Venice, Toronto, and Oslo, “The Day I Became a Woman” is a fascinating film. Its simplicity hides a wonderful depth of feeling and intent that speaks volumes about the restrictions imposed on women by religion, and by society’s strict belief in defining behaviour in accordance with gender. As a Middle Eastern film with a feminist thrust, it’s unlikely to be seen by the majority of cinemagoers, but don’t let your preconceptions dissuade you: this is a beautiful gem.

The Day I Became a Woman (2000) -- Marzieh Meshkini.mkv

General
Container:  	Matroska
Runtime: 	1h 14mn
Size: 	1.08 GiB
Video
Codec: 	x264
Resolution: 	708x576 ~> 1024x576
Aspect ratio:  	16:9
Frame rate: 	25.000 fps
Bit rate: 	1 900 Kbps
BPP: 	0.186
Audio
#1:  	2.0ch AC-3 @ 192 Kbps

https://nitro.download/view/C251723438E137F/The_Day_I_Became_a_Woman_(2000)_–_Marzieh_Meshkini.mkv
https://nitro.download/view/97272656D1ADB66/The_Day_I_Became_a_Woman_(2000)_–_Marzieh_Meshkini.idx
https://nitro.download/view/B6A9524D02EBEAE/The_Day_I_Became_a_Woman_(2000)_–_Marzieh_Meshkini.srt
https://nitro.download/view/9F5DEBE6548CFDA/The_Day_I_Became_a_Woman_(2000)_–_Marzieh_Meshkini.sub

Language(s):Persian
Subtitles:English (idx, sub, srt)