Man, Taraneh, panzdah sal daram

I have seen a handful of movies from around Asia at this year's Seattle International Film Festival. All of them have had good productions values but most of the acting has, well, looked like acting. Not in "I, Taraneh, Am Fifteen Years Old". The all-around professionalism of this film is impressive.

Briefly, Taraneh, is a fifteen-year-old Iranian girl who lives with her feeble grandmother. Her mother has passed and her father is in prison for unspecified reasons. Taraneh works at a photo shop where she discovers the young man who works next door has taken an interest in her. After some convincing, she agrees to marry him. It turns out to be a very brief marriage. After the divorce Taraneh makes another discovery: she is pregnant.

This movie created tension for me on two levels. One was how the character Taraneh would be able carry and then raise a child all by herself in modern Iranian society. Two was how a movie with this kind of subject matter could be made in modern Iranian society.

I have been won over by Iranian cinema. Special kudos go to Taraneh for her portrayal of a girl who with stoic determination becomes a mother.

A truly stirring account of a girl and her struggles told through Taraneh Alidoosti.

This rich drama tells us a story of love, humor, joy and despair in a marvelous way. Director Rasul Sadrameli paints a simple yet profound picture of Taraneh and the world around her. The characters are very well acted and Taraneh Alidoosti is truly fantastic. A unpretentiousness imagery puts the focus on the story itself, a drama which is so strong and absorbing that "Man, taraneh, panzdah sal daram" leaves no one left untouched.

A fascinating film!

Man , Taraneh , 15 sal daram (means:I am Taraneh 15) is a movie that shocks us with showing how innocent one can be . From the very begining of the film , you see that Taraneh is a 15 year old girl (whose mother has passed away and has a father in prison) who doesn't want anything very special from life. She just wants to live peacefully; But life is more cruel than giving her peace . She gets pregnant , and the whole film shows her struggles to make other people accept her as a normal mother . The movie has a good direction , but a better acting . Taraneh Alidousti (whose name is surprisingly Taraneh , like the character she plays) acts in such a perfect way that you completely forget she is an actress playing a character . Up to now she has won 3 best actress awards for the movie . But behind a good acting there must be a good direction and screenplay . Congratulations to Mr.Sadrameli for showing us that innocence and humanity are still alive !

A realistic and direct film with an unremitting positive message, which sinks in and exhilarates the viewer. If only we had more "Taranehs" in the world!

Watching this strong 15-year-old tackle problems in her difficult life is a very heart-warming experience. Few other films have managed to impart so simply so much good feeling towards life.