Scenes From "Zinat"

The Iranian film “Zinat” tells the story of a young woman struggling with the social constraints of her village. She desires a career and a family, but that is forbidden. This conflict forces difficult choices on Zinat, her fiancée Hamed and their families.
Early in the film there is a scene with Hamed and his mother who is busy with domestic chores. When Hamed attempts to help draw water from the well his mother stops and scolds him for doing women’s work. She then informs Hamed that within a week of marrying his father she was doing all the chores. She then adds “Now you want to marry someone with no time for housework”.
This scene sets the stage for the film by illustrating the traditions of the village where Zinat and Hamed lived. Hamed’s mother had worked hard for decades and now expected to be able to retire in a sense by having a daughter-in-law who would take over the housework. When she finds out that Zinat intends to work she becomes bitter and presses for the local custom barring wives from working outside the home to be enforced.

Later in the film Zinat is told by her father she can no longer work. When she defies him he angrily retrieves her from the medical clinic. Zinat cannot resist seeing her patients though and pays a visit to a woman named Ashraf who is not home, but her children are. Zinat attempts to give an infant an immunization shot, but Ashraf returns and becomes angry. She tells Zinat to “get a husband” and chases her away.

The pressure to conform to the local mores is immense and comes not just from her and Hamed’s families, but from the village as a whole. When Zinat’s father discovers she has returned to work he becomes irate. He forces her into a room and strikes her. He then locks her in the room, which has bars on the window. She has become a prisoner literally and figuratively. She is locked into a social structure that offers no escape except through conformity.

Zinat returns to her family’s good graces when she dramatically turns her back on her career. After her father sets fire to her uniform, Zinat takes her briefcase and throws it into the flames. This sacrificial imagery shows the choice Zinat must make - a career or a family, but not both.

A turning point occurs when the now married Zinat is approached by Ashraf. Her daughter is gravely ill and is in desperate need of help. Hamed and his mother shoo Ashraf away. She refuses to leave and begs for assistance. Zinat cannot stand by and do nothing. She goes to the girl and Hamed reluctantly follows still resisting the idea of Zinat practicing medicine. However, when Zinat prevents the imminent death of the girl Hamed is transformed. He sees that Zinat has a passion in life and should be allowed to pursue it.


At the end of the film Hamed is shown standing next to a truck into which the sick child is being loaded to be transported to a hospital. Zinat climbs into the truck as well. Hamed turns to see his mother standing nearby. Hamed is forced to choose between his mother, the traditional past, and Zinat, the progressive future. This is reminiscent of the scene where Zinat chooses between a husband and a career. Hamed climbs into the truck and the closing scene shows his mother disappearing into the dust.

This is a good ending that makes an important point. The viewer can choose to stay rooted in the traditional past with all its restrictions on women or embrace a bright future where women are allowed to reach their full potential. However, if I were to rewrite the ending I would not make the choice so stark. Making Hamed choose between his mother and his wife is hard. I would have preferred to see Hamed give his mother the opportunity to join Zinat and himself in the bright future if she was willing to change herself. This would convey the message that social change does not mean that segments of society must be cast aside in the name of progress.