A slow, pensive tale as Mina (Maryam Moghadam – Leaf of Life, The Silence) discovers her husband, executed for murder a year earlier, was innocent.
As much a reflection on women’s position in contemporary Iran as a personal struggle for justice, Ballad of a White Cow is a quiet absorption of a narrative. Mina demands an official apology whilst struggling with raising a young daughter and the pressures placed upon her by family, neighbours and wider society.
It may not reach the heights of Asghar Fahardi’s stunning family dramas, but, co-directed by Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha (Risk of Acid Rain), Ballad of a White Cow is both compassionate and insightful as Mina looks to righting a wrong as Reza (Alireza Sani Far – Dressage, The Rain Falls Where It Will), claiming to be an acquaintance of her dead husband, seeks atonement.
Rating: 69%
An Opinion or Two 