The Day I Became a Woman

Using three short stories, The Day I Became a Woman cleverly reveals many aspects of the role of women in traditional Iranian society. The film begins with the beginning of womanhood, a girl's 9th birthday. We watch as Hava, the birthday girl, is measured for a chador and then rushes out to enjoy an hour of playtime with her friend before she becomes a woman. In some ways it was heart wrenching to see. We follow Hava as she runs through town, plays on the beach and yearns for her playmate ( he is studying and not allowed to come out and play). The image of the chador is never far behind. Hava gives her scarf, large and black, to some boys to use as a sail. Watching it catch the wind and sail away, we see Hava's independence moving farther and farther from her grasp. Once the small raft is out of sight, Hava - even without her chador- has lost a bit of her freedom. Hassan, her playmate, sends her to buy candy which she then feeds to him. In a somewhat uncomfortable scene she feeds him licks of a lollipop and pieces of tamarind. He holds on to the bars of the window, unwilling to reach out a hand and feed himself. Symbolically she is already wearing a chador. It is no surprise when her mother comes to her and slips the veil over her head.

The second revelaing scene is the story of Ahoo. She is in a bike race, rushing away from the known and traditional and heading quickly into a more modern life, into something the unknown. The image of the chador is again important. All of the women on the bikes are wearing chadors, traditional black but with pants and sneakers. The woman with whom Ahoo competes for the lead is also wearing a chador but with the addition of ear phones. Here is a truly 'modern' woman. Ahoo is the only woman in the race who seems to struggle to keep the chador from flying off. While the others simply pedal along, Ahoo's chador billows in the wind and she struggles to keep it on. Interestingly enough the various men who come to convince Ahoo to quit the race are all wearing white clothes or are bare chested. They are dressed for comfort, not so the women on the bikes.

As an aside, at one point the women pass a road sign that says simply, "You are here." Great image.

While the image of the chador, or lack thereof, reveals alot about women's roles, the dialogue, or lack thereof, is equally revealing. Throughout Ahoo's story none of the women speak. They barely glance at each other. Each seems completely self contained, within their own world. Their only unity is that they are participating in a non-traditional activity; the bike race. It is the men who speak, the men who make demands. Ahoo says only one sentence, "Go ahead, divorce me." It is clear that she is experiencing some strong emotions but the fact that they are not verbalized says more than words ever could.