Divorce Iranian Style

Iranian women seeking divorce meet with strong opposition. Often, they stand by helplessly when their husbands are supported by the court and get custody of the children, even if they abuse them or attach little value to the education of their daughters. Filmmaker Kim Longinotto and writer Ziba Mir-Hosseini observed three lawsuits in Teheran. Jamileh is mistreated by her husband, Maryam fights for the custody of her children, and 16-year-old Ziba wants to divorce her 38-year-old spouse. If she succeeds, she will have to go through life as scum, due to the loss of her virginity. The women that Longinotto shows are anything but victims. With humour, flattery, tears, perseverance and an occasional little white lie, they try to achieve their goals – often with success.