Divorce is a common idea in American society. Couples with irreconcilable differences
ending their marriages are so often the subject of books, films, studies, and
documentaries. However other
societies are more adamant of the "Till death do us part" concept. To many Americans, Iran is one of those
societies. Countries with a strict
code of conduct and high emphasis on religion and morality do not advocate
divorce as much as America. However
the ability for couples to divorce exists.
Two women, Kim Longinotto and Ziba Mir-Hosseini, take a look at Iranian
divorce proceedings in a documentary called Divorce Iranian Style. This critically acclaimed film is a very
good film to look because it succeeds at being a documentary. This film informs and educates people on
an untouched subject matter and does so in a coherent pattern.
Divorce Iranian Style begins with a shot of the courthouse and of
the judge welcoming the filmmakers into his courtroom. One of the following shots shows the
process for women upon entering the courthouse. Women are inspected to see if they look
appropriate to enter the courtroom.
They are encouraged to do something if they are wearing too much make up
or not wearing a proper chador, or veil. A divorce for men is easier to obtain
and simply involves the mutual consent of the female whereas a woman has to have
a valid, justifiable reason for divorce.
This film focuses on the latter.
Massy seeks to divorce her husband of 5 years due to his inability to
produce children. Male infertility
is one of the permitted reasons.
Though a valid legal reason, it is very difficult for Massy to get her to
consent. Massy is very eager to
divorce her husband and does not want to wait for the paper work to come
though. Eventually, her husband
concedes to a divorce but Massy gives up her marriage gift that he promised her
when they married. She waives her
right to the money and the upcoming court struggle to be free from her
marriage. Ziba, the next applicant,
is not so willing to give up the marriage gift. She is youngest and outspoken woman in
the film; her family married her at 15 when she was still in school. She is very desperate to get a divorce
and tries many other means to get one.
She questions her husband's sanity and she claims that he lied to her
family, both of which are also permitted reasons. Since she has no valid claim for divorce
she pressures her husband until he finally grants the divorce. Most women give up their right to the
gift in order to get the divorce, but Ziba claims that she will continue to
struggle to get the money. The
final story is about Maryam who recently remarries after obtaining a divorce
from her previous husband. When a
divorced woman remarries, she loses custody of the children from the previous
marriage. She is very desperate to
keep her children from her ex-husband.
She relentlessly pursues the judge and is very tenacious to keep at least
one of her daughters. However, the
judge is powerless to give her the children because of the law.
Obviously there is a very strong female presence in this movie evidinced
by the above-mentioned women.
Divorce Iranian Style does a very good job at portraying these
women taking a role in their lives.
Most Americans have the vision of Iranian women as veiled, subdued, and
weak. In this movie, the women are
anything but weak; they are strong-willed and even militant in their
beliefs. Part of the impact of this
documentary is that it educates people on the fact that divorce actually does
occur in Iran. Though Iranian
divorce is male-dominated practice, these women work very hard to use the system
to their advantage. It would be
good to show this film because of the impact that it has on the audience. The new and somewhat shocking subject
matter can be used to galvanize the class into actually paying attention to the
film. When the audience watches the
film and learns about Iranian divorce, the film succeeds in educating the
audience.
The subject matter is also presented in a very accessible and
understandable sequence. The
narrator introduces each person to the audience and describes particular ideas
that are important to the documentary.
For example, she outlines the rules of divorce and describes the
importance of the marriage gift.
During the actual presentation of each story, any narration is
minimal. However, whenever
important events are about to occur, the narrator informs the audiences to
prevent any confusion. During
Ziba's narrative, Ziba herself is able to do most of the talking. The audience is able to glean most of
the information from her. However,
when the scene shifts from the courthouse to her home to discuss the importance
of the marriage gift, the narrator informs the audience on what is about to
occur. The narrator also sets the
pace for the separate stories to unfold because she introduces each person and
outlines their particular dilemma.
All of the stories take place in the same few weeks in the same
courtroom, but each story is separated from the other to prevent intertwining
narratives and some possible confusion. Divorce Iranian Style is
very accessible and easy to understand because of the simple and well-outlined
narrative and use of the narrator.
Divorce Iranian Style is a very critically acclaimed documentary. It was declared "Best Documentary" at the San Francisco and the Amsterdam International Film Festivals. These accolades are very well deserved for a film that can show a vast array of human emotions from Maryam's desperation to Ziba's determination. Divorce Iranian Style shows an unknown institution in a society that most Americans are generally unfamiliar with. However, the material is presented in clear, simple format makes the film very accessible to study and discuss in any documentary film class.
Sources Cited
"Divorce Iranian Style." WMM Film and Video Catalogue <http://www.wmm.com/catalog/pages/c454.htm> 23 Dec 2001
Divorce Iranian Style. Dir. by Kim Longinotto and Ziba Mir-Hosseini. Women Make Movies. 1998