The Sealed Soil (1977)

Original title

خاک سر به مهر

Directed by

Marva Nabili

Genre

drama film

Country

Iran

Runtime

1h 30m

Rated

14

Rating

8.0 of 10 from 2 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A young girl in rural Iran refuses an arranged marriage, silently resisting the traditions around her. The story follows her quiet defiance as she navigates her family and community.

slow-burntranquilcontemplativedeterminedquietintrospectiveresolutefrustrated

What happens

The Sealed Soil is a 1977 film by Marva Nabili. The film traces the "passive revolt" of a young girl who refuses to marry, a transformation that can be seen as a metaphor for Iran's transition from tradition to modernity. She smuggled the original negative out of Iran and edited it at her university in New York. The film was shot without sound. Nabili later added dubbing and sound effects. The Sealed Soil met with international critical acclaim, notably winning an award at the London Film Festival in 1977. The film is the second feature film made by a female director in Iran. The film was never shown in Iran and was finally officially released in the United States in 2025. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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