Ballad of a White Cow

Mina (co-director Maryam Moghaddam) makes one last visit to her condemned husband in prison before he is hanged for committing a murder. Shortly thereafter, while she is still in the grip of grieving, she learns that a mistake was made, and her husband was innocent after all—something she herself did not really believe… So begins Moghaddam and Behtash Saneeha’s riveting drama, a film that takes an unflinching look at both the justice system and the embattled role of women in the Iran of today.

‘Sure, “Ballad” can be brutal, but Moghaddam and co-helmer Behtash Saneeha… also see it as a story of resilience in a society that puts enormous limits on women… [T]he humanism shines through, centered in Moghaddam’s dignified performance, one that shifts depending on whether the character is being observed in public or private.’—Peter Debruge, Variety