‘Woman and Child’ Review: In Iran, a Single Mom Pushes Back on the Patriarchy in Nonsensical, Self-Destructive Ways
- Iranian director Saeed Roustaee’s film Woman and Child debuted in the Competition section during the 2025 festival held in Cannes, France, on May 22nd.
- Roustaee, who faced a six-month prison sentence and five-year filmmaking ban after his 2022 Cannes entry Leila's Brothers under the Islamic regime, wrote Woman and Child under similar constraints.
- The film follows widowed nurse Mahnaz, played by Parinaz Izadyar, as she navigates family tensions, a rebellious son, and a tragic accident that shatters her plans to remarry.
- At the Cannes premiere, Woman and Child was met with a ten-minute standing ovation, and director Saeed Roustaee explained that the film centers on a woman challenging the male-dominated societal system that has denied her fundamental rights, including motherhood.
- The film highlights systemic barriers faced by women in Iran, showing Mahnaz’s limited agency and suggesting her struggle for justice leads to self-destructive consequences without clear resolution.
16 Articles
16 Articles
‘Woman and Child’ Review: An Unwieldy Iranian Melodrama Sustained by Great Performances and a Gifted Young Director
Writer-director Saeed Roustaee ('Leila's Brothers') returns to Cannes competition with a tale of motherhood, mourning and vengeance set in contemporary Tehran.
Described for having shot in accordance with the rules of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the filmmaker, who passed through prison in 2023, actually leads a subtle and violent indictment against the regime.
Advocacy for a woman victim of male oppression, the Iranian filmmaker's fourth feature film pushes the grips of the drama, sometimes forgetting the nuance of feelings.
Iranian Director Saeed Roustaee’s ‘Woman And Child’ Gets 10-Minute Ovation In Cannes Debut
Iranian filmmaker Saeed Roustaee had the afternoon competition slot at the Cannes Film festival for his latest movie Woman and Child, which got an 10-minute ovation after it screened Thursday. Roustaee and star Parinaz Izadyar were among those in attendance for the premiere. The story follows Mahnaz (Parinaz Izadyar), a 40-year-old widowed nurse who is […]
‘Woman and Child’ Review: Parinaz Izadyar’s Powerhouse Performance in Iranian Melodrama Is a Contender for the Cannes Best Actress Prize
Most of us don’t appreciate where our problems sit on a scale from ordinary to tragic. One day your frustrations relate to impressing the family of your intended husband, or to the local school’s struggles to contain your tearaway son. The next day, there are no footholds for this conventional social anxiety because the bottom has fallen out of your world. Selling a descent from stress into a state of devastation that can never be shed (only br…
‘Woman and Child’ Review: In Iran, a Single Mom Pushes Back on the Patriarchy in Nonsensical, Self-Destructive Ways
Saeed Roustaee’s 'Woman and Child' is a setback for the gifted Iranian director, who imagines a mother whose choices make life worse for all involved.
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