-Written by Marty Coney.
One Must Wash Eyes is a drama that follows a young international Iranian student called Sahar (Pegah Ghafoori) and her struggles to pay her bills and tuition fees, and the lengths she will go to to be able to stay in Vancouver and make a better life for herself.
One Must Wash Eyes is an emotional story that is brought to life by Director Sepideh Yadegar and hits you in the feels throughout. Sahar who is studying in Canada has the freedom to live her life in a way women back home in Iran can only dream about.
Sahar’s tuition fees are expensive and she is struggling to keep on top of her bills. She has a job in a grocery store and finds another job house-sitting for a month. Time is running out for her to pay her tuition fees, and if she doesn’t find the money she will lose her student visa and be sent back home to Iran.
Sahar finds her world turned upside down even more than it is when she attends a protest for women's rights back in Iran and gets photographed and placed on the front page of a newspaper. Sahar loses her job in the grocery store and her family back in Iran is now in danger from the government.
A normally vibrant and bubbly person, Sahar needs to find more ways of raising money. With her family being watched by the government and unable to send her money she takes on a house guest Matt (Sean Depner) in the house she is only staying in for a month, and becomes close with him. Matt gets her a job growing marijuana that doesn't require a work visa and pays in cash.
With life starting to feel better for Sahar she feels like the weight is being lifted and she can look forward to a brighter future. With her relationship with Matt growing stronger and a phone call from her mother (Mitra Lohrasb) telling her she can finally send her money to pay for tuition fees we see her beautiful personality shine but it's short-lived.
Just as things start to look brighter for Sahar the dark closes in. A tragedy back home in Iran crushes her world and she finds out that Matt is the person who took her photo at the protest. Her world starts to close in around her and with few options available she must become a refugee or go back home and face a possible death sentence.
While it’s not shown on screen One Must Wash Eyes is able to get across the difficulty of being a woman in Iran. At the end of the film it screens the names of lots of young girls and women who have been murdered under the current regime and the ages are devastating. Young lives are being snuffed out for no reason other than being women. One Must Wash Eyes is a poignant movie that is beautifully brought to life by Yadegar that will make you think about the freedoms we have in the western world.
Directed by Sepideh Yadegar.
Starring Pegah Ghafoori, Mitra Lohrasb, Sean Depner, etc.
7.5/10 = WORTH RENTING OR BUYING
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