Dallas Videofest 2009 - The Glass House

lenadirbashi, says:

<p>A girl with baggy khaki pants walks through a narrow sidewalk in Tehran early in the morning, spitting out lyrics about how she no longer wants to "slash her veins" at night. She is on her way to the Omid e Mehr Center, a place where estranged girls like her escape their daily suffering.</p>

<p><em><objectxref content_type="80" id="114713" sticky="0">The Glass House</objectxref></em>, a documentary directed by Hamid Rahmanian, takes the viewer inside an Iran rarely discussed in today’s media despite the hype and obsession over the country, and tells a story of four young girls who seek guidance at Omid e Mehr, a girls-only rehabilitation center in the Iranian capital.</p>

<p>Many of the girls who seek help from the center previously spent time in a jail or state home as they struggled through multi-layered problems including physical and emotional abuse, incest, rape, and poverty. Each learns to cope and maintain her confidence through the support and guidance of Marjaneh Halati, the center’s well-liked founder.</p>

<p>We are first introduced to Sussan, 20, when an early scene depicts the cameraman pushing her to make up with her mother after months of silence and a household inflamed with problems. Such problems drive Sussan to find an outlet through sigheh, a temporary, legal marriage contract unique to Shiite Islam. The agreement allows women to take advantage of marriage rights, yet doesn't require the husband to be wholly financially responsible.</p>

<p>Nazila, 19, finds an outlet for her anguish by recording rap music, which is forbidden by law and by her family.</p>

<p>Mitra, 16, feels alienated by her father and brother, who treat her as a maid as they verbally and emotionally abuse her. Mitra finds an outlet through her writing, where she reflects her feelings of pain and loneliness.</p>

<p>Samira is only 14 and was forced by her own mother into becoming a drug user. Unlike the other girls in the film, Samira’s father is genuinely trying to help his daughter while working closely with the center as she is taken through a series of psychiatry centers, state institutions, and finally back to her father’s care.</p>

<p>The center faces the challenge of being more than just a social work institution. Though there is no direct blame placed on the Iranian government in the movie, it becomes somewhat clear that the unique disadvantages of being in these situations in a country like Iran is that the government is too busy enforcing restrictions that it fails to see how some of these restrictions are provoking the very problems it is trying to prevent. These societal holes apparent in modern Iranian society are also what the center tries to fill in -- though not always successfully.</p>

<p>For example, despite the pleas from girls at the center who encourage Sussan to assert her own independence (and not through a man), she immediately rebounds with another man after her first temporary marriage fails. She later drowns herself in drug addiction. When the social worker from the center tries to step in, Sussan refuses to be helped.</p>

<p><em>The Glass House</em> intends to portray a glimmer of hope, giving the girls the courage to express themselves and transform their tragic lives into new and better beginnings. What this movie doesn't do is obsess about their successes.</p>

<p>Since this is a documentary, it is very narrowly focused and definitely not for someone interested in understanding the country’s culture or its politics. It is a film about the universal tragedy of broken families and the disastrous consequences that happen to take place in Iran. A few unique cultural insights, like the temporary marriage, add an interesting twist to their problems.</p>

<p>Another unique insight, if not the most entertaining and delightful depiction in this film, involves the skillful way Mitra and her sister utilize hip-hop -- a genre of music with global appeal for its identification with people who are marginalized in society. Despite discouragement by family and the government, the girls successfully record their first hip-hop album, and through their lyrics, the movie’s plot is summarized best:</p>

<p><em>Difficulties have forced me to stand on my own</em></p>

<p><em>But Now I am starting a new life of indictment</em></p>

<p><em>It was my dream to die</em></p>

<p><em>But now I don't want to slash my veins at night</em></p>

<p><em>I don't want to be silent</em></p>

<p><em>I will wait for the promised day</em></p>

<p><em>I wont be silenced</em></p>