The film is a sympathetic portrait of the two women, exploring their day-to-day
life and the workings of prostitution in a country that bans it and prosecutes
adulterers, sometimes with the penalty of capital punishment.
Many of the clients find a way to buy sex and still comply with Muslim law:
they marry the women in what is called 'Sighe', a temporary marriage sanctioned
in Shia Islam. Sighe can last from two hours up to 99 years. Both Minna and
Fariba enter into Sighe with clients, and Fariba is in a Sighe marriage with a
neighbour, Habib, that lasts six months. Giving his perspective on temporary
marriage, Habib says that Sighe is a way to help poor women, it is an act of
mercy in the name of Allah.
The film follows the two women for more than a year. It describes their
middle-class backgrounds and their submission to treacherous men and drugs. We
see how Fariba manages to quit drugs and prostitution, only to find herself
temporarily married to a man who will not let her leave the house.
The film is narrated by the director, Nahid Persson, who fled Iran 20 years
ago. Her commentary adds her perspective and contextual information to the
film's events. An element of the film is the difficulties faced by a female
director shooting a film. Filming prostitution in the street was hard and
dangerous, as is evident in the film. The director has to submit to the same
restraints as the film's two women in a ludicrously patriarchal society marked
by religious restrictions, oppression of women, and social decline. The story
of Minna and Fariba mirrors the greater story of Iranian society.
It may sound in odds when one talks about pandemic presence of prostituion in
Iran, especially in major cities like Tehran, considering strict Islamic laws
ruling the country. But it is pervasive and occasionally, if you have your eyes
open, you may spot a "pick up" on busy streets.
