When I watched this movie, I had just finished a one and a half month trip in Iran. Besides visiting Persian monuments and mosques, I had also personally experienced Iran’s anti-government demonstrations, police enforcement, national disconnection, and many lively young people. Conservative middle-aged people have talked, and in my impression, this country that was originally only in the news has become very three-dimensional. When watching this film, Marji and her family gave me the greatest feeling of reality. This is not Iran in the eyes of Westerners. They reminded me of countless Iranians who have communicated sincerely along the way. Check after the film ends, this is an autobiographical film by an Iranian female illustrator, and the woman in the filmmaker's photo is Marji himself.
Of course, there are still some deviations in my opinion. The people I have communicated with are Iranians who can speak at least some English. This usually means that they are well-educated and have upper-class family conditions, which coincide with the first-perspective Iranian middle-class family in the film. , So will feel more resonance. My impression of Iran is also more inclined to this group.
1. Pahlavi dynasty
Looking back now, I may think that the Pahlavi dynasty has been a pretty good period. Marji, who came from a wealthy family, spent the first ten years of his childhood in the innocence of "why not eat meat". Both generations of kings were quite westernized and modernized, admiring Western industrial models. The society of this period was also more secular. Women were not forced to wear a headscarf when they went out, and the distance between their clothes and men and women was relatively casual. However, although the Pahlavi dynasty promoted the social process in Iran, it still benefited mostly from the middle class and above. The gap between the rich and the poor in society has widened, the government is corrupt and dictatorship, the king himself maintains a luxurious life, and the bottom people and religious figures are accumulating dissatisfaction. However, King Pahlavi's position of transferring oil resources to obtain support from the United States and Britain became the fuse of the revolution. The father and friends in the film say that such a regime will not last long, but they don't know where Iran will go.
2. The Islamic Revolution
Marji's father happily saw the king's regime being overthrown, thinking that the country was finally on the right track. Marji's family is deeply influenced by communism and has the good wish that "the people will control power". The young men shot by soldiers during the rebellion, the marginalized communists who were released, the cruel children who thought they were upholding justice... The brief peace after Shah's fall was full of instability. Political rallies have sprung up, and this costly and hard-won freedom has not been maintained for long-people participated in the democratic vote for the establishment of the Islamic Republic with 99.99% of the voter turnout. Marji's uncle is still arguing that this is just the pain of the transition period. Most of the people are uneducated. Only nationalism and religious beliefs can unite the people. However, his naive ideals still fell through.
I was reading Orhan Pamuk’s book shortly before watching this movie. He comes from an upper-class family in Turkey, a more secular Islamic country. He wrote in the book, “We equate piety and poverty, but never dare Speak out loudly "..." What I fear in common with everyone in the Turkish secular middle class is not the gods, but the fanaticism of the believers." The history of Iran and Iran reflect each other shockingly.
3. Khomeini period
Khomeini, who had been in exile for ten years, became the inevitable leader of the revolution, gained unprecedented support from the people, and established a stable regime with an almost mythical status. The Revolutionary Guards are fighting counter-revolutionaries and dissidents. The civil strife has severely consumed Iran. The high-pressure policy is dedicated to eliminating the influence of secularism and Western culture. At the same time, the status of women has been greatly reduced. 3000 people were executed under the Shah government, and 300,000 people died during the new government. During this period, landmark events such as the hostage crisis of the US Embassy in Iran occurred, as well as the long Iran-Iraq war.
Marji began her adolescence in the upheaval of society: young girls were forced to wear veiled turbans to go out, covering every uneven contour of their hair and body. They survived air raids, material shortages, and anti-American propaganda. Passionate about Western punk bands, secretly bought British heavy metal band tapes in the market, and hurriedly dumped the home-brewed wine during police random checks. Because Marji grew up in an environment that made her have too many questions about the new government, her parents worried that she would be raped by revolutionary soldiers and then executed like another young girl. They reluctantly sent her to Vienna to study.
4. Khamenei period
This is the Iran that we can confirm with our eyes today. The society is struggling with extreme religiousization. Although women are still forced to wear headscarves in public places, a large number of red, purple, and green foreheads are exposed under the headscarves; the self-breathing of Iranian households has become a favorite of everyone. Undisclosed secrets; on beaches without police, bolder Iranian girls will also enjoy sea bathing; young people radically express their views to us, the new generation of Iran has a large number of non-religious Islamic Muslims; on the streets Large-scale anti-government protest marches, burning vehicles, police officers with protective masks and shields waiting in full force... The recent Soleimani and civilian airliner incidents have caused political turmoil again. No one knows what Iran will be 20 years from now. In this way, I can only pay close attention to this land that has endured too much pain with my best wishes.
5. Back to the movie
The most impressive thing in the movie is Marji's grandmother, a wise and elegant old woman who taught Marji not to resent or retaliate against atrocities; to always maintain self-esteem and integrity; it is fear that makes people lose consciousness and become cowards; Remember that you still have choices in any environment.
I don’t like to say that this movie is a ridicule of "I grew up in China". Of course, there are many scenes reminiscent of our modern history, but simply saying "Ha, this is the same as China" is just a kind of arrogance. , Appealing to emotional cynicism is irresponsible. Iran is not China, North Korea, Cuba...it has its own independent and special development process, turbulent confusion about where to go, fierce class conflicts and even more undercurrent religious conflicts, and a long period of pain. Obviously unstable status quo. Focusing on such a country, you should really understand it more sincerely and humbly, instead of simply categorizing it without thinking.
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