2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Modern woman in Iran today, August 4, 2009
This review is from: The Fifth Reaction (DVD)
What are the choices that a modern, educated woman living in Iran has? This film observes five women teachers who share their deeply personal experiences of being a wife, mother and a professional in a modern Iranian society. All of them have graduated from universities and make their living in "respectable" professions such as teaching or law. However, teaching does not bring in enough money and law attracts only female clients who have very little to spend for the professional assistance they need.
We learn about a young widow with two young boys. Her husband dies in a car accident which puts her in difficult situation with her in-laws. Remaining in a house will seem inappropriate since there are two adult unmarried brother in laws living under the same roof. Allowing her to live on her own is impossible since she does not earn enough money. The only way she can remain in the family is if she marries one of her husband's brothers which she refuses.
In order not to loose her children her friends make a plan to help her escape Iran with her children and move overseas. Before long, their plan turns into a game of chess where young woman's father-in-law chases her across countyside in order to stop her at all cost.
I was perplexed by this film. Clash between tradition and deep seeded yearning for independence is difficult to comprehend. It is a deeply moral story about fight for traces of humanity between different generations. I loved the strength of women and their sheer determiantion to help each other.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I plead the 5th, March 9, 2008
This review is from: The Fifth Reaction (DVD)
I plead the Fifth Reaction's case as a great chick flick. The 5 women involved in the story all share their problems with the men in their lives and offer each other support and solutions. After her beloved husband's death, Fereshteh's overbearing father-in-law wants to assume custody of her two young boys and send her back to her father's house. Fereshteh tries every stratagem the group can invent to remain with her children. Ultimately, she hits the road to hide from him and his son. Black humor lightens the film, as both she and her father-in-law keep "score" as they try to out-maneuver each other. The 5 women are feisty, inventive, and easy to root for.
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