The Mirror

When she is left behind at school, a young girl embarks on a perilous journey home through the chaotic streets of Tehran.

School is finishing for the day, and amid a flurry of activity, the children make their way home. After the school grounds have emptied, seven-year-old Mina is left alone. Her mother has forgotten to pick her up.

Not knowing her home address and relying on her memory of landmarks and bus drivers to find her way, Mina begins her brave and at times dangerous journey home. When she eventually becomes lost on the wrong side of town, the situation seems hopeless.

Curator’s Note

Jafar Panahi’s stunning second feature employs playful writing and direction, which has the effect of toying with and upending audience expectations. In retrospect, we can see a future master in the early stages of his career. It also signals a filmmaker beginning to break the rules.

The Mirror was widely acclaimed upon release and won the Golden Leopard prize at the Locarno International Film Festival, marking Panahi’s first award for best film at a major festival. He has since added to this with an award for best film at all of the big three festivals (Cannes, Venice and Berlin) – an accomplishment shared with only three other filmmakers.

Reece Goodwin, Curator (Film & TV)