Killing Mad Dogs

Bahram Beyzai's 2001 Iranian film follows Golrokh, a writer. Her husband is in prison and the debts left behind by his partner have fallen to her. Golrokh goes round the creditors one by one. Each meeting uses her a little more; the film shows the business world of Tehran and how narrow the space left to a woman is, and the narrative reveals late whom the debts really belong to. Mozhdeh Shamsai leads. Beyzai had been unable to make films for a long stretch, and this came after that gap. The tone is close to a thriller. Who it's for: viewers of Iranian cinema and women-centred drama. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a quick resolution; the film is long and proceeds through conversation.