The Persian Version brims with undeniable filmmaker and character charisma
Culture clashes often make for compelling cinema, usually dramatic, routinely funny, and occasionally timely. And when a single character can inhibit both sides of the culture clash, the results can have more resonant meaning. The Persian Version, an indie dramedy from writer/director Maryam Keshavarz, contains such a character — representing a timely and bold exploration of the Iranian-American experience. It’s commendable that The Persian Version doesn’t feel like a studio comedy. It’s full of stylistic flare, unlikely story threads, and vibrant music, embracing the creative freedom that pulsates at the heart of its central characters.
Layla Mohammad stars as Leila, a rebellious Iranian-American young woman in New York City. She keeps her progressive personal life distanced from her family’s more conservative outlook. She embraces a liberal American spirit while trying to adhere (when convenient) to the traditional Iranian viewpoints of her parents. Leila’s most prominent tensions stem from her relationship with her mother, Shireen (Niousha Noor). Shireen seems to reserve her most strict and worried attitude for Leila, as opposed to the outward affection she shows for her eight sons. When Leila’s father’s heart transplant surgery brings the family together, Leila’s outsider status gets more pronounced as Shireen objects to Leila’s presence at her father’s bedside. In a conversation Leila has with her grandmother, the latter reveals a dark family secret that simultaneously challenges and clarifies the already strained mother-daughter bond between Leila and Shireen.
The Persian Version’s stylistic elements often make up for moments when the story struggles to coherently wrap up its various strings. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, and also an extended flashback to Shireen’s life in Iran as a young woman that begins to feel like a completely different movie. Luckily, Keshavarz and editors Abolfazl Talooni and JoAnne Yarrow have fun throughout the film with comical on-screen titles, characters breaking the fourth wall, colorful costumes, and choreographed musical numbers. These elements keep the movie breathing even as the slower dramatic storyline gradually takes control of the narrative. The film’s messiness, and willingness to commit to shifts in story and style, are part of what makes The Persian Version so charming. Even The Persian Version’s ending, though flashy and abrupt, manages to wrangle the emotions of its culture-clashing subplots and tie them together into a satisfying finish.
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The Persian Version opens in limited theaters today, with a wider release following on Nov. 3rd.
