Maryam
Zaree survived a nightmare of early childhood development and still turned out
okay. It helped to have two loving parents—once they were released from Iran’s
notoriously harsh Evin Prison. That is where Zaree spent the first two years of
her life as an infant political prisoner, but she remembers nothing of the
experience. Bothered by her gap in memory, Zaree tries to get her mother to
finally discuss those nightmarish days in her deeply personal documentary, Born
in Evin, which releases today on VOD.
Like
many progressive Iranians, Zaree’s parents initially supported to revolution
against the Shah, only to find themselves prisoners of conscience under the
new, even less tolerant Islamist regime. Unlike many of their cell-mates, her
mother Nargess and father Kasra were eventually released after years of brutal
imprisonment, much to their own surprise. First, Zaree was turned over to her
grandparents and then her mother was released. They immigrated to Frankfurt,
where her father eventually joined them.
Her
parents are no longer together, which sadly often happens when couples endure
years of forced separation. Regardless, her father definitely remained part of
her life. Yet, despite his greater openness to questions, he could tell her
little, because he was held captive in the men’s wing of the prison.
At
times, Born is almost too personal. We see a lot of Zaree’s agonizing over
her mother’s reluctance to participate. However, as she widens her focus to
include any other survivors who like her, either were born or spent formative
years in the notorious prison, she makes valid points about memory and
testimony. Indeed, the current regime would much prefer it if the survivors of
Evin’s torture chambers refused to discuss the horrors they endured.
Although
it is not exactly an expose per se, Born definitely still establishes the
everyday practice of physical and psychological torture within Evin’s walls. For
more information, there are excellent resources on the Iran Tribunal’s website
(where Zaree films one of her fellow child prisoners offering testimony).
It
is clear the terrors and trauma of Evin continue to haunt survivors, including
Zaree herself, in ways she is only starting to understand. We definitely come
to feel like we know her immediate family on a personal level and sympathize
with them all quite keenly. However, more historical-political context would
widen the film’s appeal for educational and public affairs venues. Still very
much recommended for some compelling oral history, Born in Evin releases
today (6/9) on VOD platforms.
