Prostitution: Behind the Veil

This film unveils the lives of two women, Minna and Fariba, in a city in Iran. The women are neighbors, good friends and support each other. Both of them have to live with the widespread mistreatment of women and the double standards that permeate Iranian society today. They both make a living from customers on the streets. The film portrays the women sympathetically and explores their everyday life and the way prostitution functions in a country where it is banned and where adultery is persecuted. Many of the punters find a way to buy sex and still comply in Muslim law: they marry with the women in what is called 'Sighe', a temporary marriage legal in Shia Islam. 'Sighe' can last from two hours up to 99 years. In the film both Minna and Fariba undergo 'Sighe' with customers, and Fariba gets married Sighe-style with a neighbor Habib for 6 months. To Habib, a sighe is a way to help miserable woman. He claims it is an act of mercy done in the name of Allah.