September 3 @ 20:00 – 21:40
70-year-old Mahin has been widowed for 30 years and her two children live abroad. She is living a lonely life in Tehran. But one day, she decides to join her friends for the afternoon tea and finds a new spark in her heart. She meets someone who makes her feel alive again, and the evening brings unpredictable surprises and memories. She bakes her favourite cake, believing that she may have found love at her late age.
The female directors were banned from leaving Iran to attend it’s premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival. They were held in Evin prison awaiting trial for propaganda against the regime.
Persian with English subtitles. 97m Directed by Maryam Moghaddam & Behtash Sanaeeha
A personal view by guest critic Beth Travers
Ah yes, My Favourite Cake – though I would have appreciated a slice or two
to comfort me after this film. It is a gut-wrenching portrayal of loneliness and
isolation of two, single 70-year-olds living in the hustle of modern-day Tehran.
This award-winning Iranian film follows seventy-year-old Mahin and her
attempt to revitalise her life after the loss of her husband. From a hilarious
depiction of female friendships, to heroism in the face of the oppressive
Iranian morality police, co-directors Maryam Moghadam and Behtash
Sanaeeha beautifully capture a revival of love and romance.
The question arises from the beginning of the film – is it possible to find love
once again at such an age? Mahin proves quite easily that it is, even under
the constraints of the Islamic Republic regime. She determinedly sets her
heart on rediscovering life with a partner, unabashedly inviting cab driver and
military veteran, Faramarz (played by Esmail Mehrabi ) into her home for
some of her “favourite cake”. Admittedly I felt dazzled by her boldness, Lili
Farhadpour magically captured that universal excitement and enjoyment of
female pursuit typically associated with young, carefree (and predominantly
western) women. She proved the desire to be seen and for physical touch
never dies as we grow older.
Esmail won my heart with his loveable, charming smile and dance moves that
had viewers (such as myself) crying on their sofas still with no cake in
sight…
Beth
