An intelligent glimpse into the Iranian working class is presented at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah in December 2023. Directed by Parviz Shahbazi, Roxana is one of those bittersweet films, light yet full of meaning and depth. It doesn’t focus on a specific theme or a politically and socially controversial topic, which obviously is the first thing that comes in mind when one thinks about nowadays Iran. Or at least it does so indirectly. It addresses the tragedy of oppressive control – from small to big things – and the authoritative presence of power that infiltrates the everyday life of the community and individuals, but it does so in a sideways and “light” manner.
It tells the adventurous story of a boy and a girl who meet by chance in a Tehran filled with stolen purses, prisons, and strokes of misfortune, but also with joyful marriages, moments of happiness, friendship, budding love, and positive values. Tehran is here portrayed in vibrant shades and with a fast-paced rhythm.
Fred is a young, unemployed 23-year-old boy living with a mentally absent mother, trying to stay afloat as best as he can. Roxana, on the other hand, is a young filmmaker primarily involved in filming weddings. Sometimes, she adds an extra package to her videos and photo shoots, which includes smuggled alcohol for the party. This becomes one of the first misadventures of the couple. After her purse was stolen and Fred took action to retrieve it, initiating an everlasting bond – a working collaboration was born between them, with the guy becoming her assistant (more like a helper out of love). Following the dual storyline of his best friend with the girl’s cousin, the story takes a rather adventurous turn. Stopped by the police who find the alcohol, it is Fred who takes responsibility and ends up in jail, and from this moment on, the film transcends genres and becomes a mix of buddy movie, road movie, and screwball comedy with slapstick tones. Like the clumsy and ultimately “good cop” who lets the prisoner escape and makes a deal with him (“I won’t tell the judge you escaped if you don’t tell anyone you saw me dancing”).
The plot is a succession of tragicomic moments, unexpected events, and carelessness, seasoned with a unique and simultaneously sad tenderness, giving Roxana that touch of bittersweet irony that is the distinctive feature of the film. And yet, it hides much more. Without ever falling into excessive drama (which wouldn’t have been a wrong choice in itself, but certainly more predictable), the director does not directly tell the tragedy of present-day Iran or confront the regime, yet manages to say everything or leave us to imagine everything.
The final violence suffered by Roxana, emblematic of an independent woman in every aspect, from running her small business alone to the challenging way she wears her hijab, is ultimately proof of this.
Despite this, this feature ends on a marked note of hope.
Because love eventually triumphs. Or rather, the promise of love.
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