Product Details

• Actors: Jamshid Hashempur, Seyd-Ali Hosseini, Shahib Hosseini, Niki Karimi, Gohar Kheirandish
• Format: DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: Farsi
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Facets
• DVD Release Date: November 22, 2005
• Run Time: 106 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000BKJ776
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #110,418 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  Movies & TV > Art House & International > By Original Language > Persian (Farsi)

• For more information about "The Fifth Reaction" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Modernism and tradition clash in contemporary Iran as a progressive, recently widowed teacher and her conservative, controlling father-in-law fight for custody of her two small children. According to tradition, Fereshteh should remain in her father-in-law's home with her children, which he sees as an opportunity to force her to marry his younger son, but she refuses. Afraid of losing custody of the boys, she decides to take them and disappear from her father-in-law's realm of control, aided by her women friends. THE FIFTH REACTION is about a nation plagued by the conflicting philosophies of hard-line religious groups and an educated, cosmopolitan population.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Modern woman in Iran today, August 4, 2009

By	Reader "cvrcak1" (Boca Raton, FL) - See all my reviews

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.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I plead the 5th, March 9, 2008

By	Jean P. Orr (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.