Based on a terrible true story, this dark and effective thriller takes a frightening look at the status of women in Iran.
Shocking film from the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, The Nights of Mashhad begin with a shot that seems like nothing seen in the West but which nevertheless means a lot: a topless woman is getting ready in a bathroom. In Iran, where the action takes place, it would have been simply impossible to shoot and show these few images. Only a filmmaker based abroad could afford to adapt, without fear of censorship, this frightening story of a journalist pursuing a serial killer of prostitutes.
A director who is not afraid
One thing is certain, Ali Abbasi, director born in Tehran but based in Copenhagen and naturalized Danish, likes challenges. The latest one? Filmed the young years of Donald Trump in The Apprenticea gritty biopic, released in theaters a few weeks ago. But before that, it was he who had the idea of adapting for the cinema the true story of Saeed Hanaei, who murdered at least 16 prostitutes in Mashhad. At the time of his execution, the man nicknamed the Spider was considered by some to be a hero because he had fought against “corruption morale” of its victims, considered as sinners… Because the real subject of Nights of Mashhad is here: to draw up a terrible inventory of the status of women in Iran, just as Wild Fig Tree Seedscrowned at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. To carry out her investigation and find the killer, the heroine, a courageous journalist, must constantly confront the surveillance and power of men. Scorned by the police, she is described as a woman of scandal by religious authorities.
Zar Amir Ebrahimi, an amazing actress
To carry this fight and this commitment, an intense and motivated actress was needed. And one thing is certain, it is that Ali Abbasi found it with Zar Amir Ebrahimi. Rightly awarded the acting prize at Cannes, she is breathtaking. It must be said that she knows the scandal. Famous actress in an Iranian television series, her career was brought to a halt due to an erotic video affair. Just before her trial, she managed to flee and settled in France, where she was naturalized in 2017. Accused of blasphemy and the target of hundreds of hateful tweets and death threats, she cannot return to her native country. Let us hope that this courageous actress can continue her career for a long time, in France or elsewhere.
