An overcast sky over a northern Iranian city on the Caspian Sea symbolizes the life of Nahid, a recent divorcee and single mother. Struggling through life with her adolescent son, she finds a new love. But she can not accept the marriage proposal. She and her ex-husband, a gambling addict, have agreed that she can maintain guardianship of their son as long as she does not remarry. She wants more than anything to maintain custody of her son as well as get remarried, but circumstances are not on her side. Images such as a limping dog, gloomy weather, and an injured hand all symbolize Nahid’s psychological state, and the silently observing, static camera work effectively expresses how she fights to suppress the rage inside of her. Written and directed by a young Iranian female filmmaker, Aida Panahande, Nahid is one of the best debut films of the year, successfully building suspense around the issue of how a legally vulnerable woman in Iranian society is forced to make choices. (Minah Jeong)