Leila's Brothers

In Tehran, Leila, now in her forties, tries to get her four brothers to pool what money they have and open a shop in a mall. None of the brothers has proper work. Their father, meanwhile, wants to spend the family's saved gold on something else: a ceremony naming him head of the clan. The film is not interested in poverty. It is interested in the economy of standing: the father spends a fortune to be declared patriarch while everyone in the house collapses, and nobody can tell him no. The collapse of the Iranian economy is kept constantly in the background, with the exchange rate heard from the television. The form is crowded and loud: cramped flats, family scenes of people talking over each other, long takes. Across nearly three hours there is almost no moment of rest. Saeed Roustaee directed. The film played in competition at Cannes in 2022 and won the FIPRESCI prize. It was banned in Iran on the grounds of unauthorised entry, and Roustaee and his producer Javad Noruzbegi were sentenced to six months in prison. Taraneh Alidoosti plays Leila, with Navid Mohammadzadeh and Saeed Poursamimi in the cast. Who it is for: viewers who like Iranian family drama and long, dense argument scenes. Who it is not for: anyone who cannot take the length and the constant shouting. The film chooses to be exhausting.