M for Mother

Rasoul Mollagholipour's 2006 Iranian film opens with a couple expecting a child. It emerges that Sepideh was exposed to chemical weapons during the Iran-Iraq war, and the doctors report the likelihood of a child born with severe disabilities. The disagreement begins there. The father wants the pregnancy ended, the mother insists on continuing; rather than set the argument in a legal or religious frame, the narrative leaves it between two people. Golshifteh Farahani leads and carries the film's weight. The narrative shows the long reach of the war not at the front but in a hospital corridor years later; the melodramatic elements are pronounced and the close steers the emotion openly. Who it's for: those who follow Iranian post-war drama. Who it's not for: viewers uncomfortable with disability presented as tragedy; the film treats the child largely through the mother's sacrifice.