Maryam Ataei

In Tehran’s underground art scene, Pari, a theater director, and Hanna, a dancer, are roommates, best friends, actors, and professional partners, navigating rehearsals, performances, and the quiet rituals of everyday life—until their secret circle is discovered. Shot covertly but far removed from familiar portrayals of Iran, directors Maryam Ataei and Hossein Keshavarz blur the boundaries between theatrical performance and lived experience, crafting a luminous portrait of sisterhood where art becomes inseparable from life and even the smallest creative choices can become acts of resistance.

The House of Power (zurkhuneh), a home for traditional Persian martial arts, creates a strong community in a south Tehran neighborhood. Members gather several times a week to listen to the leader (morshed) play the drums and sing mystical poems from Rumi, Fedousi and others, as they do calisthenics and bodybuilding. Think yoga and soul cycle meets poetry reading and church revival. A master tries to pass on this ancient tradition to the younger generation as he fights for the sport to gain recognized status like Taekwondo or Judo. A disciple trains his body, heart and soul under the tutelage of his master, while juggling the demands of being a university student. An old man comes to the House of Power religiously after it helps him recover from an accident in which he was told he would never walk. The three of them come together, along with many others, to form a brotherhood rooted in centuries of tradition.

Working as a cleaning lady, studying at university and maintaining a relationship with her high school sweetheart, John, is all Eugenia does to achieve her goal of entering medical school despite her undocumented status. When her sister gets arrested for a routine traffic ticket, she turns to John for help, but she finds that John's response is surprisingly aloof. As she struggles to prevent her sister's deportation and tries to salvage her romance with her boyfriend, Eugenia realizes that her position in America is more tenuous than she ever imagined.