My Mother’s Home, Lagoon

My Mother's Home, Lagoon
Directed by Mehrdad Oskouei
Produced by Mehrdad Oskouei,
Written by Mehrdad Oskouei
Cinematography Bayram Fazli
Edited by Ebrahim Saeedi
Distributed by Sheherazad Media International (SMI), Katayoon Shahabi
Release dates
  • 2000 (2000)
Running time
 29 min
Country Iran
Language Persian

My mother's home, lagoon[1] is a 2000 Iranian documentary directed by Mehrdad Oskouei.Each day before dawn, 67 year old Kobra goes fishing in a small rowing boat tied to her porch. Her house stands on the water's edge. It is a tough life. She tries to sell her meager catch at the local market to support herself and her old mother, but she must fight with dealers and thieves (of her fish net) in an all – male environment first. The camera follows her home, where she takes loving care of her mother, looked over by photos of her deceased husband and father...

Festivals & Awards

Director’s biography

Independent producer, filmmaker, photographer and researcher. Oskouei was born in Tehran, Iran in 1969. He has a B.A. in film direction from the University of Arts, starting in the theatre in 1981 and the film world in 1988. Most of his films have been shown at various festivals both at home and abroad with many receiving critical acclaim. His films have received over 100 awards from national and international festivals makes him one of the most outstanding Iranian documentary makers. In 2010, Oskouei received the Prince Claus Award from the Netherlands for his achievements.

Filmography

Feature Documentary Film

Mid length Documentary Films

Short Documentary Films

Film reviews

by: Kimberly Bartosz, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha Wisconsin

winner at the Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam 2000 and the Gold Medal at the International Film in Tehran 1999, this short documentary is a snap shot of a woman’s life lived in both the male and female spheres. Following the events of a New Year’s Day, My Mother’s Home, Lagoon, illustrates the complexity and difficulty of an Iranian woman’s struggle to care for her mother and to support them both. Opening with footage of sixty-seven year old Kobra casting out her nets in the pre-dawn rain, her day is one filled with toil. She bargains with men at the market for fair prices for her fish. Kobra cleans her home from top to bottom, hennas her mother’s hair and feet, purchases and prepares items for the holiday dinner. When she finally manages to sleep, her mother wakes her to ring in the New Year with greetings and prayer and then she must leave again to cast her nets. As stated on the video’s container, this film intends to “make a universal statement” of the difficulties facing women and the strength they need to survive. While Kobra’s life is not easy and men clearly have a dominant position in her society, the film shows this woman in a less passive role. For example, Kobra owns her own boat and nets, she successfully barters with male merchants, and physically defends her fishing space and nets against two men in motored boat. The documentary illustrates to viewers that Iranian society in reality may not conform to Western perceptions. Kobra’s life may not be typical but her life is not a cloistered one. The film’s sound is clear, so the viewer can easily hear the conversations and background sounds. There is no musical soundtrack. Since the film is subtitled (with clear, unobtrusive text) the tone and volume of Kobra’s interactions with the fishermen and merchants is not obscured with background music. Middle school and high school students would be an appropriate audience for this film, although teachers would need to provide some background information to set the film up. The documentary would compliment multi-cultural units. University students studying gender or social issues would be an ideal audience. Recommended.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5193144/combined
  2. ↑ http://www.edn.dk/video/my-mothers-home-lagoon-khanehye-madariyam-mordab/
  3. ↑ http://emro.lib.buffalo.edu/emro/emroDetail.asp?Number=784
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