For a Place under the Heavens

More and more, the street scene in Pakistan is dominated by veiled women. Filmmaker Sabiha Sumar is worried about the growing influence of religion on daily life and particularly of its impact on the liberties of women. She tries to comprehend what has happened to her country, which used to be more secular in her childhood. She talks to Islamic women to find out what drives them, but they seem impervious to reason. One even cherishes her son with the words: ‘You’ll become a martyr, won’t you?’. Fortunately, there are still women who refuse to be robbed of their rights, like Sumar’s three emancipated friends. The four of them philosophize about the position of women and the power of Islam. With one of them, the director goes through the history of Pakistan while reading newspaper clips. They start in 1956, when the separation of church and state was abolished. In the eighties, women were even denied the right to apply for a divorce. They try to explain how this could happen. Political analysis, interviews, stories and the discussion among friends are intermixed. The voice-over gives the film the character of an awakening. The question remains, however, whether there will be resolution.