MAPACA

Mid-Atlantic Popular &
American Culture Association

In the 2000s, under the presidency of Mohammad Khatami, an unprecedented liberalism was facilitated in the cultural field, accordingly, several films were produced mainly highlighting social and cultural issues in Iran. Among these films are SadrAmeli’s films about teenage girls in Tehran. In these films, not only are the teenage girls’ daily lives portrayed, but also their anxieties and their desires in a developing society. This paper, will look at I’m Taraneh, 15 (2002) and Aida, I Saw Your Father Last Night (2005) (both directed by SadrAmeli) to explore how the life of urban female teenagers in Iranian society is depicted in film.

The story of I’m Taraneh, 15 is about a 15-year-old school girl named Taraneh, who temporarily gets married (Sigheh) with a neighborhood boy, but his lack of ambition and responsibility quickly drive them to divorce. Later, Taraneh discovers that she is pregnant and decides to keep the baby despite the stigma of being a single mother. The film, privileges Taraneh, because of her independence and self respect while other girls in the same situation as Taraneh become street girls.

Aida, I Saw your Father Last Night, is about a 17- year-old girl , named Aida, who faces some difficulties in her relationship with her parents. The plot is about how teenagers can be vulnerable about their parents’ conflicts, or separation, and how they cope with this situation. The film also portrays pure relationships between teenage girls and boys in 2000s in Iran.

This paper explores the way Iranian teenage girls resist traditional beliefs and rules of the society. Taraneh and Aida are the cinematic representation of a new generation of teenage females in Iran. They stand against parental and governmental control over their lives, they have hetero social interactions, and they also have an active social role.