Hush! Girls Don't Scream

Hush! Girls Don't Scream
Directed by Pouran Derakhshandeh
Produced by Pouran Derakhshandeh
Written by Pouran Derakhshandeh
Starring Tannaz Tabatabaei
Shahab Hosseini
Merila Zarei
Babak Hamidian
Jamshid Hashempur
Music by Karen Homayounfar
Cinematography Morteza Poursamadi
Edited by Hayedeh Safi-Yari
Production
company
Khovarmehr Film Co.
Distributed by Farabi Cinematic Institute
Release dates
July 31, 2013
Country Iran
Language Persian
Box office US$1,602,941

"Hush! Girls Don't Scream" (Persian: هیس! دخترها فریاد نمیزنند) is a 2013 Iranian drama film directed by Pouran Derakhshandeh. It is about a woman on death row for killing a man. Most of the movie's characters seem to feel her actions were justified, unlike the judicial system of Iran. Her lawyer tries to save her. The film stars Tannaz Tabatabei, Shahab Hosseini and Merila Zarei.[1][2]

Plot

On her wedding night, Shirin is arrested for murdering the janitor of their home building. She refuses to talk to the police, who believe the janitor was blackmailing her with something until she grew tired and decided to kill him. The detective informs her fiance that she has canceled her marriage with two other men previously, which appears to be what she did not want to get revealed. The fiance gets angry and his father encourages him to forget her.

Shirin's parents hire a famously skilled lawyer, who visits Shirin in detention and manages to make her state her first words after arrest. The lawyer considers this a start and learns from Shirin's mother that in contrast to Shirin's two previous marriage attempts, she chose the last one herself; and that they are true lovers. The lawyer meets the fiance, who finally agrees to help. He visits Shirin and asks her for her motive. She begins to reveal her story: When she was a child, her parents were at work most of the time and entrusted her to an assistant named Morad, who frequently abused her and took pictures of her while they were alone. The police arrest Morad, who denies the accusations. However, when pictures of other girls are found in his house, he is tortured until he confesses to dozens of sexual abuses. As a result, he is sentenced to death.

Then Shirin is asked of the reason she killed the janitor. She reveals that as she was preparing to join her fiance, she noticed her neighbors' daughter being abused by the janitor. She freed the girl and killed the janitor. The detective and the lawyer debrief the abused girl and her parents, who refuse to testify, as the disclosure of the daughter's abuse can ruin the family's reputation and become a scandal that is not accepted in Iranian culture.

The lawyer tries another way to help Shirin's case. She brings a psychologist to the trial, where the latter states that traumatic events in childhood can affect the person's mental state and behavior. The court does not accept that and sentences Shirin to death for the murder.

Since the death sentence can be replaced by blood money if a family member of the victim exists, the lawyer and the fiance search for the janitor's family. They discover that there is a living brother, and the fiance meets a carpet salesman who knows of the brother's whereabouts. The salesman initially refuses to talk. The fiance threatens to burn the carpets and the salesman eventually reveals the location. The fiance and the lawyer head there, but discover the brother is dying of a drug overdose. They take him to a hospital but the brother dies. As a result, Shirin is transferred for execution.

Cast

Tannaz Tabatabaei as Shirin

Shahab Hosseini as the detective

Merila Zarei as Shirin's lawyer

Babak Hamidian as Morad

Jamshid Hashempur as a police officer

Nima Safayi as Shirin's fiance

Amir Aghaei as Shirin's neighbor

Farhad A-Ish as the warden

Shirin Bina as Shirin's neighbor

Setareh Eskandari as the psychologist

Reza Tavakkoli as the carpet salesman

Awards

Year Award Category Recipients and nominees Result
2013 4th London Iranian Film Festival Best Feature Film Hush! Girls don't screem Won
6th Biffes Commendation Award Pouran Derakhshandeh Won
International Arvayn Festival America Audience Award Hush! Girls don't screem Won
7th Celebration Writers of Cinema Iran Best Actress Tannaz Tabatabaei Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Babak Hamidian Won
Best Supporting Actress Merila Zarei Nominated
Best Music Karen Homayounfar Nominated
Best Editor Haydeh Safiyari Nominated
2014 Women’s Independent Film Festival Best Screenplay Hush! girls don't screem Won
Best Actress Tannaz Tabatabaei Won
Honorable Mention Hush! girls don't screem Won
14th Hafez Awards Best Screenplay Hush! girls don't screem Won
Best Actor Babak Hamidian Won
International Independent Film Awards Diamond Winner Hush! girls don't screem Won
2016 12nd Action On Film America Best Film Hush! girls don't screem Won
Best Actor Shahab Hosseini Won

References

  1. "Soureh Cinema". Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  2. "Cinetmag". Retrieved July 30, 2016.
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