Women Without Men

Set against the backdrop of the 1953 coup d’état in Iran, Women Without Men follows the lives of four women seeking to escape the constraints of a patriarchal society in turmoil. Deprived of autonomy, they live in the shadow of the men who dictate their lives. As instability grows in Tehran, they find refuge in an almost magical garden, a space of freedom, solidarity and rebirth. In her debut feature film, which won the Best Director award at Venice, Shirin Neshat combines historical realism and visual lyricism in a reflection on resistance and women’s emancipation.