In the Bazaar of the Sexes

For her documentary In the Bazaar of the Sexes, German-Iranian Sudabeh Mortezai has taken on a highly interesting but also extremely difficult subject: gender relations in Iran. The main focus of the film is on the so-called temporary marriage, a Shiite tradition that allows a man and a woman to marry for a limited period of time. Thus, extramarital sex, which can be punished by lashing, stoning, or even death for multiple violations, can be circumvented. The time marriage can be concluded only for one hour, but also for a lifetime. A man can enter into an unlimited number of time marriages, which only have to be registered with a notary. The only requirement is that the man can afford the bride money.

The documentary follows a divorced single mother, a lonely bachelor and a young mullah, all of whom somehow find themselves caught between the most extreme tradition and a world on the move. As an outside viewer, one shakes one's head here again and again, sometimes in complete amazement, sometimes filled with incredulous rage. But Sudabeh Mortezai deserves credit for the fact that her film does not oppose Iran as a country, Iranians as people or Islam as a religion. The protagonists are treated with respect and never exposed to ridicule. As a result, it becomes clear that the problems they are dealing with are much more universal than the theme of temporary marriage would initially suggest.

In the Bazaar of the Sexes allows the viewer a very interesting look at gender-social life in Iran, but at the same time also shows problems between men and women, between different religious attitudes and societies in general. The difficult topic is treated with respect, but also with unmasking honesty and light-hearted humour, which makes Sudabeh Mortezai's documentary well worth seeing. Whether that alone justifies a trip to the cinema, or whether it is not enough to wait for a TV broadcast, however, remains to be seen.

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp