Making its debut at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, "The Persian Version" is an engaging comedy/drama that explores cultural identity and the emotional and complicated bonds of mother-daughter relationships.
At the heart of the story is Leila (played by Layla Mohammadi), a twenty-something Iranian-American woman caught between her two cultures, her sexual identity, and the expectations of her family – especially those of her overprotective brothers and domineering mother, Shireen (played by Niousha Noor.)
We meet Leila's family in a New York City hospital room, where Leila's father is recovering from a heart transplant. There, Leila struggles to maintain a distance between her authentic self and the facade presented to her family; however, when she is faced with sharing the truth, the story takes an emotional turn, exploring the parallels between Leila's life and her mother's life journey.
Writer and director Maryam Keshavarz creatively combines humor, lively music and dance sequences, and vibrant color palate to balance the drama of the film's family dynamics.
"The Persian Version" won two awards at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival: the Audience Award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award.
Rated R for language and some sexual references and running 1 hour and 47 minutes, "The Persian Version" opens in theaters on October 20.
It's a film worth watching that celebrates the complexities of family relationships and cultural traditions.
