“I am not a revolutionary” – The Day I Became a Woman

In exploring the reviews of Marziyeh Meshkini's film, The Day I Became a Woman, there were a number of perspectives that were noteworthy.
Jamie Russell’s snippet proffers that the film “challenges the social and religious restrictions that Iranian culture imposes on its female members”, it does so without employing an “overtly political stance”. As an aside, while declaring the film a ‘beautiful gem”, subliminally dissuades potential viewers with the following, “as a Middle Eastern film with a feminine thrust, it’s likely to be seen by the majority of cinemagoers”.
Bob Mondello’s review for NPR, again, asserts that the work is an analysis of women’s roles in Iranian society - “Fascinating, both for what is says and the way it says it”. Additionally, he provides an interesting parcel of information on the construction of the film – the three-part structure permitted it to “circumvent Iranian censorship rules’, as only “feature length films require script approval and production permits”. Thus, these short segments were able to address social issues sans intervention.
A Chicago Tribune article by Mehrnaz Saeedvafa, in her consideration of the “bold subject matter”, includes the director’s perspectives, “I am not a revolutionary...I have not criticized nor made a judgment here…I have only shown what exists in fact”. Her comments echo the cultural restrictions that exist in her country, as well as underscore the movement for change, but she proffers, “we go step by step toward change”, as “things cannot happen overnight because there is a tendency to swing back maybe even worse than before”.
The film, as proffered by its critics, is a quiet assemblage of images into the various stages of life in Iranian society. Perhaps, the tenor is the most engaging aspect of the piece. The stories are subdued, yet, powerful and the resolution is, per Meshkini, “[left] to the audience”.