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An Iranian female ‘buddy' movie about a taxi driver and a transsexual.
Two women - poles apart in background and belief - find themselves awkward travelling companions in a desperate car ride through Tehran. Conservative Randa is covertly driving her jailed husband's taxi; upfront pre-op transsexual Adineh is fleeing the country to escape her wealthy family's insistence on a pre-arranged marriage. Avoiding gender stereotypes, Facing Mirrors charts the unexpected friendship that develops between the two.
This absorbing and audacious Iranian story from first-time feature director Negar Azarbayjani plays out like a road movie and is highlighted by great performances from its two leads, in particular the feisty Shayesteh Irani (last seen as the frustrated soccer fan in Jafar Panahi's Offside, MIFF 06) as Adineh.
“This fascinating dual character study… [unfolds] almost like a culture-clash comedy.” - Variety
D Negar Azarbayjani P Fereshteh Taerpour S Negar Azarbayjani, Fereshteh Taerpour L Farsi w/English subtitles TD betacam/2011
Read an extended in-depth article on MIFF's Iranian films at Senses of Cinema.