Trapped (Dar Band)

2013, Parviz Shahbazi, 92 minutes

Parviz Shahbazi’s Trapped is an unusual perspective on contemporary Iran told through the lives of two young women from very different backgrounds. Nazanin, a provincial medical school student, finds herself sharing an apartment with the lively, urbane salesgirl Sahar. However, her friendship with Sahar leads Nazanin down a path of entrapment and deceit, forcing her to confront a wholly unfamiliar stratum of society. Through this interpersonal drama, Shabazi manages to capture a sense of humor and social criticism within a very human story.