I quite enjoyed this intergenerational story of an Iranian immigrant family trying to piece together their versions of the American dream and the misunderstandings that happen in between. It is essentially about the uneasy relationship between a mother and daughter; the rest of it often feels like informational dumps on Iranian culture (and heritage), but told through a lighter lens. Even in that regard, the film is fairly fun because it's either showing us vibrant frames, tackling a particular emotion, or making us chuckle. Some of it feels like flab, especially the scandal part of the mother's backstory, and it ideally should've gotten better treatment at the edit desk.
It makes all the sense in the world to appreciate certain performances, especially those of Niousha Noor, Chiara Stella, and Layla Mohammadi. While the two distinct labor room scenes have their significance plotwise, I wondered if there was any other way to put the same emotional messaging across, without them feeling repetitive. The second one comes off a beautiful moment of reconciliation indeed, and that's one reason why I wouldn't dive too deep into it. Also, the fourth-wall-breaking moments go just a tad too far. Regardless of however you perceive all of it, there's some fun to be had!
