The Hidden Half

Iran is one of those countries where, in the face of hardship, the film industry blossoms. Not lastly thanks to Tahmineh Milani. In the international film world, she has made an impression with productions such as The Legend of Ah and Two Women and with her openly feminist opinions that she ventilates both in her films and during her public appearances. This is both a praiseworthy and dangerous attitude, as was clear after the release of her latest film The Hidden Half: Milani was imprisoned, suspected of antirevolutionary sympathies, an offence that still can be punished with the death penalty in Iran.The film is about Fereshteh, an intelligent and modest woman, dedicated to her children and her husband, the investigative magistrate Khosro. The family leads a harmonious and calm life, until Khosro goes on a journey to investigate the case of a female political prisoner. This makes Fereshteh reveal her own past as a political activist soon after the revolution. With her revelations, she wants to awaken understanding for the position of the female prisoner.Milani's film language is clear and gripping, the dialogues are original and universal, the acting restrained and moving.