By Roger Costa
A collection of truthful, painful stories of young girls escaping from trauma and abuse, in search of redemption in a recovery facility in the outskirts of Tehran, “Starless Dreams” is a new documentary directed by prolific Iranian filmmaker Mehrdad Oskouei. He spent over 7 years in the film’s production, with access to the all-female facility.
Structured as an investigative study on the consequences and symptoms developed by the abuse these girls had to endure either with parents, relatives or strangers, director Oskouei allows them to explore their anguish on screen with powerful revelations of the dark side of human condition. The camera stares at their emotional transformation as they depict their experiences with hate, love, crimes, rapes, beatings and even homicide; They were all led to drastic actions in response to the abuse or attacks suffered; unable to survive or accept the physical damages or the emotional distress, they all fled their homes becoming street criminals, and now find themselves leaning on each other attempting to rescue their lost childhood, and their own values and virtues distorted by violence.
The sense of abandon and broken promises of protection are exposed in every story, creating a statement that blends their fragility and need for love, as well as their eventual corruption and mischievous actions. A girl who was burned and severely beaten by her drug-addicted parents; Another who is desperately missing her daughter, the fruit of her forced marriage at the age of 14. A girl used to the practices of stealing and threatening people with knifes and guns explains how she became one of the most violent street kids; a devastating revelation of another who killed her father with the help of the mother and sister, after years of beatings and pimping them for drugs.
Winner of the Amnesty International Film Prize at Berlin Film Festival (tied with Oscar-nominated “Fire At Sea”), named Best Documentary at both London Film Festival and Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, as well as an aclaimmed selection at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, STARLESS DREAMS exposes the fears and disappointments of these women in search of healing, while trying to rescue what’s left of hope in them.
STARLESS DREAMS (A Cinema Guild Release. Now playing thru Sunday, January 29th at Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens NYC.)
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