TIFF 2009 Day 1: Shirin Neshat’s Women Without Men

Date:

Hands down – Shirin Neshat’s Women Without Men (which I learned late is apparently co-directed) is the best looking picture of this fest (excluding, of course several items that were at Cannes) and the Silver Lion for Best Director sort of proves this theory to be right. This was a top 3 must see film on my schedule, and is timed perfectly with the Green revolution in Iran, but I wish the film was working with less symbolism, had fleshed out characters and was less poetic and more profound. Full review coming soon.

Eric Lavallée
Eric Lavalléehttps://www.ericlavallee.com
Eric Lavallée is the founder, CEO, editor-in-chief, film journalist, and critic at IONCINEMA.com, established in 2000. A regular at Sundance, Cannes, and Venice, Eric holds a BFA in film studies from the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2013, he served on the narrative competition jury at the SXSW Film Festival. He was an associate producer on Mark Jackson’s "This Teacher" (2018 LA Film Festival, 2018 BFI London). He is a Golden Globes Voter, member of the ICS (International Cinephile Society), FIPRESCI and AQCC (Association québécoise des critiques de cinéma).

Share post:

NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

Popular

More like this
Related

DAU | 2026 Venice Film Festival Review

Darkness Visible: Khrzhanovsky Reformulates Saga of Shattered Scientists If ex-Attorney...

Company | 2026 Venice Film Festival Review

Let the White One In: Affleck Can’t Satisfy the...

Bunker | 2026 Venice Film Festival Review

Atlas Dug: Zeller Teases the Comedy of Obligation It’s become...

2026 TIFF Exclusive: Poster One-Sheet for Ghasideh Golmakani’s ‘Head to Head’ (Discovery Programme)

Among the directorial debuts loading up this year’s Discovery...