Artists create because they must, not because they’ve been given permission. This belief shines through in Hossein Keshavarz and Maryam Ataei’s Tehran-set drama “The Friend’s House is Here.” It’s a strong and hopeful film that celebrates Iran’s artists who bravely express themselves despite the government trying to silence them, and the contry’s women who led the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement.
The film was shot secretly, like the recent work of Jafar Panahi (including the Oscar-nominated “It Was Just An Accident”). It was finished after the June War and reportedly taken out of the country when protests began, with thousands of deaths. Keshavarz and Ataei’s film feels like a continuation of the work of masters like Panahi and Abbas Kiarostami, whose 1987 film “Where is the friend’s House?” inspired this film’s title.Like those filmmakers, “The Friend’s House is Here” isn’t defined by the difficulties of making it, but by its artistic vision.
The film has a gentle and joyful feeling. Keshavarz and Ataei don’t focus on sadness as they follow Pari (Mahshad Bahraminejad) and hanna (Hana Mana), two rebellious artists and best friends in tehran.Bahraminejad plays Pari, an underground theatre artist who creates performances that question the existing order.
