A Move

Filmmaker Elahe Esmaili is the only woman in her family who consistently goes without a headscarf, even on social occasions where more conservative family members are around. Her mother in particular worries about this. What will other people think of her daughter? Why can’t she be more respectful? In A Move, it turns out that her concerns are a bigger problem than Esmaili’s uncovered hair.

When her parents call her to ask for help in moving to a new house, Esmaili returns to the place where she grew up. But the hijab she has given up wearing in the meantime, is staying off. Family members fear this could cause tensions when they all go to an Eid al-Fitr celebration, while Esmaili dispels them with little effort. We see the sisters and their girlfriends recalling their most humiliating experiences, and men declaring that it should be up to the woman concerned whether to wear the hijab.

The film clearly confirms that fear is a bad counselor. While many people still lack the confidence, Esmaili shows us what the first step towards emancipation should look like. Winner of a youth jury award at Visions du Réel.