A cross-section of Iranian society was presented in Cannes at the last edition

An elderly man smokes a cigarette while observing some workers in a factory. Suddenly the workers are ordered to stop and go to the mosque to pray, where we also find the old man praying.

Outside the factory the workers clamor.

After the "social" introduction to immerse us in a theocratic country like Iran, we are introduced to a familiar environment of the young Leila and her brothers (hence the title) dealing with an inheritance. Leila and her siblings fail to have a vision for their common good. We are facing the upper hand of the god of money which poisons close family relationships by ruining relationships and beyond. Despite everything, Leila is a determined woman and defends herself well against the attacks of her brothers.

The film suffers from the excessive presence of often tight dialogues that distract the viewer from the context in which the story unfolds. Obviously due to the limits imposed by the original language we are forced to read the translation of the subtitles which can often leave out idiomatic details of the original language (Iran) by missing some essential parts.

But the contrast between ancient traditions and a realistic vision of today is completely clear. It is well known that in Iran the liberticidal inconsistency between the regime of the Ayatollahs and the modern democratic world is strongly felt. It is a trick of the director to overcome state censorship.

Finally after 80 minutes the film takes its own shape even if it is not known where it will go. It seemed to us an exhausting struggle between the director and the spectator on the indisputable shortcomings of the current Iranian regime in a theatrical play.

We want to underline that the film SHE AND HER BROTHERS by Saeed Roustayi distributed by I Wonder Pictures (Exit 06 April) has been designated Critics Film by the National Union of Italian Film Critics - SNCCI with the following Motivation:

A sick and tyrannical master father. Four differently inept brothers. A sister who is the only one who sees clearly and tries as best she can to save everyone from misery. River, fierce, tragicomic, irreverent, corrosive cross-section of the old patriarchal Iran that devours its own children and the new Iran that rebels.

Directed by a director born in 1989 and interpreted not by chance by the magnificent Taraneh Alidoosti, actress already dear to Farhadi.