Personalising a highly politicised subject, this La Ronde of oppression is rooted in the Iranian tradition of severe realism. Opening with a black screen and the sounds of a woman in labour, Panahi follows the fortunes of seven others deemed second-class citizens, solely on account of their sex. He juxtaposes major issues like abortion, divorce and prostitution with such minor acts of patriarchal tryanny as a lone female's inability to ride in a car with a non-relation.
It's potent stuff. Yet, thanks to the dexterity of Bahram Badakshani's hand-held camera and the naturalism of the non-professional cast, it's also arresting and deeply involving. This isn't the first film to expose Iran's institutionalised chauvinism. But it's certainly the most cinematic.