On her journey, Sepideh has to push against a list of factors: being young, being female in a conservative society, and her mother's inability to send her to university. Yet, she is determined and has strong sources of inspiration - three in particular.
The first is her deceased father, who we are told filled her life with love and warmth; Sepideh wishes to make him proud of her in her goals and accomplishments. The second is Anousheh Ansari, the first Iranian astronaut as well as the first female private space explorer. The third is an early twentieth-century physicist by the name of Albert Einstein, to whom she speaks in her diary. "Dear Mr. Einstein" each entry begins.
This is not a political film. The focus is one girl's drive to not only observe the stars, but to one day get a closer look. Yet, and as I mention in many of my film reviews, there is a political element: The film shows Iranians as three-dimensional people. This for Western and American viewers will be a change from the standard villainous characterizations in blockbuster films.
For that reason alone I recommend this film. For another, it's simply one of the most humane pictures I've seen in a while. With the never-ending stream of violence and ugliness in movies, watching Sepideh - the person and the film - offers one a sense of connection with the world.
Sepideh premiered last week at the Sundance Film Festival, but was just released for rent on iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/sepideh/id771893228
Interview with the director
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2014/01/22/sepideh-director-brings-iranian-girls-dream-to-sundance
