Reading Lolita in Tehran

A literature teacher returns to Iran after the revolution in 1979 and with her own eyes, which get wetter and wetter as the film goes on, sees the changes that happen in her beautiful country and how women suffer injustice, violence, and some of them are violently raped and executed. It looks unbearable but she stays and even continues to teach this banned Western literature in secret. Her story is heartbreaking, and with her eyes we see other stories and broken lives; but what is even more important is that maybe, hopefully, in the future the people of Iran will be able to watch this. As part of their history. As part of their troubled past.

In the early years following the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Saddam Hussein violated the treaty signed with the previous Iranian government and launched an invasion, driven by a desire to access open waters. The Iranian people have historically demonstrated that when facing foreign aggression, they set aside internal disagreements and unite to defend their homeland.

However, the film portrays the war as a concern exclusive to hardline conservatives, implying that intellectuals, such as university students, are detached from that reality. At one point, a student who has returned from the front line sets himself on fire in the middle of class, claiming he was deceived.

But deceived by what? He went to war to defend his country against an aggressor-an Iraq that initiated the conflict. Where is the deception in that?

The film also shows women being flogged for having romantic or sexual relations with men. In reality, no woman is flogged merely for not being a virgin or for being in a gathering with men. Such punishments, when they occur, require legal evidence and a judge's order.

I was born and raised during the early years of the Revolution. I witnessed the limitations and have, on occasion, even been assaulted by religious hardliners. I lived that reality. I know that era of Iranian society. So I consider myself qualified to reject this film's portrayal.

The film is highly exaggerated. It portrays women as the primary victims, whereas in truth, restrictions applied to both men and women alike. The depiction of religious extremism on campus, forced confessions, and fabricated punishments is misleading and overstated.

In one scene, a woman nostalgically remembers a time when shops were open, contrasting it with a present where cafes and bookstores are shuttered, presenting the country as desolate and dark. This is simply false. Even during the war-and especially after-it's well known that the development and growth which had begun during the Pahlavi era continued and still does.

This film is no different from the biased Instagram or YouTube videos where a content creator, driven by a specific agenda, tries to paint Iran in an unfairly negative light and portray it as backward.

From what I've read here, some may see it as exaggerated or one-sided, especially those who lived through the same time period and came away with different memories or interpretations. But "Reading Lolita in Tehran" isn't trying to offer a comprehensive history of post-revolutionary Iran. It's telling a very specific story, one rooted in the inner lives of women navigating a system that sought to control not only their actions, but their thoughts.

To me, what makes the film truly moving is how these discussions become a lifeline, sort of a rare space where they can finally be themselves, even if only briefly. The idea that some of them couldn't even feel safe being authentic inside their own homes is heartbreaking.

The film quietly captures the suffocation of life under authoritarian patriarchy, the struggle to imagine a future as a woman, the daily negotiations between visibility and safety, and the simmering anger that many men (and the regime itself) seem to harbor toward both women and the West. Yet rather than dramatize these themes, the film presents them with restraint, which makes them feel all the more real and disturbing.

The movie it's not flashy, but it's honest. For anyone interested in the emotional and psychological cost of life under repression, especially from the perspective of women, this film is well worth watching. It's quietly radical, emotionally honest, and deserves more attention than it has received.

This is not an easy watch, and the documentary style opening anchors it firmly in reality. We are very much in Iran in the late 70s, but we could equally be anywhere else where oppression exists -- where a new beginning turned into a living nightmare.

Azar Nafisi, confidently returning from America, experiences the grim reality of Iran in the 80s. Exuberant and self-assured, her behaviour couldn't be further from what's expected of her as an educator and a woman.

Lead actress Golshifteh Farahani has the gravitas and leadership required for the role, but also the levity and mischief that fuels Azar's acts of resistance. She creates an alchemy with the superbly matched ensemble cast, translating the political dynamics into painfully accessible human relationships.

"There's a lot on the line for me", says a visibly tortured security guard to a non-compliant Azar, putting the responsibility on HER to save HIS skin. That scene really drove home the grotesque unfairness debilitating both sides.

As the film progresses, you feel it viscerally: sickened and squirming, eyes brimming with tears, then warmth and joy spilling into your belly. What really shows the brutality of the regime is not even the dramatic scenes of obvious shock value. It is the small everyday moments that constantly grate on dignity and liberty, until the only choice left is to leave.

And equally, it is the small everyday moments of defiance and connection that make you revel in joy and resistance. As the real life Azar Nafisi says in her book, these women "never had a private corner", and it is in her living room, in each other's company, that they experience privacy and individuality.

The film asks a lot of you, but the aftertaste that remains is not of oppression or tragedy. It's one of defiant joy, unquenchable hope, a love for Iran, and the safe haven of connection.

Let's start with the story or rather the lack of one There was no clear plot or direction and what was there was so disjointed and unengaging that I found myself completely uninterested in what was happening It felt like the filmmakers were trying to make something profound, but ended up with an incoherent mess instead The characters were another huge letdown None of them were remotely compelling or worth caring about They felt flat and underdeveloped and I never once found myself emotionally invested in their struggles I was just waiting for it to end, hoping for some kind of resolution or revelation, but nothing ever really happened The acting was absolutely atrocious The performances were stiff, lifeless, and completely unconvincing. It felt like none of the actors had any genuine connection to their roles, and their dialogue often came off as forced and unnatural. This lack of chemistry between the cast really sunk the whole film And then there's the direction wow. Just... wow. It was an absolute disaster. The pacing was sluggish, the cinematography was uninspired, and the overall tone of the film felt more like a high school project than a professionally made movie The direction did nothing to elevate the material, and in fact, it only made the film more excruciating to watch In short, Reading Lolita in Tehran is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. It fails on every level, from the plot to the performances to the direction. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone it's an exhausting, forgettable experience that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.