Meu Bolo Favorito

As an Iranian in exile, I watched this film with mixed emotions-laughing throughout but also with a lump in my throat. The film is beautifully crafted, filled with beautiful details that bring the story to life. It offers a powerful portrayal of life in a society where love, joy, and even laughter are suppressed. What makes this film stand out, even more, is its unique focus: for once, the protagonist and the central love story are between two older individuals, a refreshing narrative in cinema.

Even if you're not Iranian, you'll appreciate the universal themes of love, resilience, and the human spirit. It allows viewers to reflect on the quiet but enduring resistance people face in the face of repression, making it a story that resonates beyond cultural boundaries. It evokes both joy and sorrow at the same time.

I watched this film in my favourite little local art house cinema not really knowing what to expect.

I have come to like films where I can watch other people's lives. People doing every day things. When they are set in different cultures - even more interesting.

Here we follow the life of an elderly woman in Iran and I was so touched by the beauty in the little things, the dinner with her girlfriends, how she spends her day.

The film holds an unexpected surprise that really stuck with me for a long time afterwards. It made me appreciate that I was able to see this film and that I am able to live my life (as a woman) in Europe.

I can recommend this film.

The movie had such an innocent vibe, but what it was trying to say really hit hard. Normally, I don't get emotional about old people, but just the fact that the main character was old was enough to make me feel sad. Maybe it's because of the actress's performance too; there was this pure loneliness in her eyes. I found myself really touched by the film.

The cinematography was beautiful too. I really liked the warm tones, the way the house was decorated, and how the garden was lit. Everything just fit so well. The moments between the two main characters, like when they danced and took selfies, were really sweet and tender. The ending hit harder this way, but a part of me still wishes movies like this would be a bit more clear with their message at the end.

"Mahin" (Lili Farhadpour) is a lonely, widowed, retired nurse who has lived by herself for many years, when she happens to overhear a conversation in the government run pensioner's cafe that points out that taxi driver "Faramarz" (Esmaeel Mehrabi) is also single. She quite quickly determines to track him down and next thing she is in his cab. It's not like she's a cougar nor he a womaniser - they are just two older people who click at the idea of something a bit "extra" at the end of their rain soaked day. The largest bottle of wine you've ever seen is duly produced and, well you can guess what's on the cards. Except? Well you can also guess that things are not going to go to plan either - and we are given a few subtle clues along the way to manage our expectations as this really quite entertainingly mischievous story develops. Farhadpour is really engaging as she charms her new beau and there's a lovely, soft, chemistry between the two as most of the plot unfolds in her house as they take care not to involve the dreaded morality police who might arrive and punish them - even at their advanced age - for being alone in her home together! Indeed, what also helps this work is the gentle way in which it makes some pretty hefty points. About age, assumptions about age - true, but it also takes a broader look at a society that still treats women as less free citizens thanks their testicled counterparts. Most of all thought it's really quite funny and delivers us a message of confidence, shyness, optimism and hope tempered with some dark humour - especially at the end. I'm not quite sure she could have baked the cake in quite the timeline offered, but it did look tasty!

This is my one and only review on IMDB.

I went into the cinema reluctantly for this one. Asked by friends to see it just to support our local cinema. I had no expectation and lots of prejudice. I thought this was going to be a Swedish-influenced movie about immigrants.

Instead I got suckerpunched by the sheer depression, the sheer loneliness and the sheer difference in culture this film exudes.

The acting is immensely good. I suspect the actors are more themselves than actually acting. They themselves can relate to the script in very real ways.

The story is the void itself with a glimmer of hope somewhere in the darkness but in the end nothing lasts.