The Apple

Colour, 35 mm
Iran, 1997, 85 min
Section: Forum of Independents

Synopsis

A film based on a true story. In south Tehran, several families have joined forces to denounce their neighbours to Social Services, claiming they don’t let their children out of the house. A social worker is put in charge of the inquiry. She discovers that the two twins, aged 11, have been living behind bars ever since birth. The father’s argument My daughters are like flowers. They mustn’t be exposed to the sun or they will soon fade...

About the director

Samira Makhmalbaf (b. 1980, Tehran) became involved in cinema at the age of seven when she appeared in The Cyclist (1988), directed by her father, Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Ten years later she worked as an assistant director on his film Silence (1998). She made two videos before directing her first feature, The Apple, in 1997. Her subsequent features, Blackboards (2000) and At Five in the Afternoon (2003) received Jury Prizes at Cannes. She also contributed to the omnibus work 11’09’01 (2002).