MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for Reading Lolita in Tehran

Reading Lolita in Tehran

2024 · 107 min

A quiet, bookish drama of ideas and quiet defiance, where literature becomes a lifeline under oppressive rule.

Directed by
Eran Riklis
Genres
Drama
Starring
Golshifteh Farahani, Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Mina Kavani
Overview
In 1979, amidst censorship and religious extremism, a revolutionary literature professor in Tehran gathers seven of her most dedicated female students to immerse themselves in banned literary classics.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Directed by
Eran Riklis
Genres
Drama
Starring
Golshifteh Farahani, Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Mina Kavani
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • warmstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • freedom
  • identity
  • gender
  • friendship
  • power
Places
  • big city
  • home
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
  • true story
  • ensemble
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action1
Horror1
Humour2
Realism8
Romance1
Tension5
Darkness6
Complexity6
Emotional weight7

More like this

Titles like Reading Lolita in Tehran

Movie

Papicha

2019

A tense, heartfelt coming-of-age drama about friendship and defiance under growing repression, with moments of joy and a looming sense of danger.

Earnest, melancholic · about freedom and identity · true story

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • freedom
  • identity
  • true story
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
108 min
Details
PapichaHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Outcry

2025

A quietly defiant protest drama that builds tension through small acts of courage, leaving you moved and unsettled.

Earnest, melancholic · about freedom and gender · true story

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • freedom
  • gender
  • true story
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
104 min
Details
OutcryHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

The Tiger and Her Wings

2024

A patient, earnest historical drama that follows one woman's stubborn idealism through hardship, rewarding viewers with quiet emotional accumulations rather than big dramatic jolts.

Earnest, melancholic · about identity and gender · true story

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • identity
  • gender
  • true story
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Seasons
1
Details
The Tiger and Her WingsHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Persepolis

2007

A poignant, hand-drawn coming-of-age story that balances warmth and heartbreak while navigating revolution, exile, and the search for identity.

Earnest, melancholic · about freedom and identity · true story

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • freedom
  • identity
  • true story
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
95 min
Details
PersepolisHidden from your suggestions.
Short film

Bitter Chocolate

2024

A quiet, pressure-cooker short that follows a young woman through a city as a private deadline tightens around her.

Earnest, melancholic · about freedom and identity

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • freedom
  • identity
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
20 min
Details
Bitter ChocolateHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Hotel Coppelia

2021

A somber, slow-building period drama where hope briefly flares before occupation turns a seaside refuge into a pressure cooker of dignity and compromise.

Earnest, melancholic · about freedom and identity · true story

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • freedom
  • identity
  • true story
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
105 min
Details
Hotel CoppeliaHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Osama

2004

A harrowing, slow-burn plunge into fear and injustice, seen through a child's eyes, leaving a heavy, lingering ache.

Earnest, melancholic · about identity and gender · true story

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • identity
  • gender
  • true story
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
83 min
Details
OsamaHidden from your suggestions.
Short film

Aries

2019

A quiet, intimate night journey that feels tender and uneasy, tracing a woman's slow unclenching as she is seen without judgment.

Earnest, melancholic · about freedom and identity

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • freedom
  • identity
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
14 min
Details
AriesHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Amal

2024

A tense, grounded classroom drama that weighs free speech against community pressure, leaving a lingering sense of unease and moral strain.

Earnest, melancholic · about identity

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • identity
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
112 min
Details
AmalHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

Aslında Özgürsün

2022

A thoughtful, emotionally resonant drama that quietly examines the weight of societal expectations on two women's lives.

Earnest, melancholic · about freedom and identity

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • freedom
  • identity
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Seasons
2
Details
Aslında ÖzgürsünHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Women Without Men

2009

A slow, dreamlike and visually arresting experience that blends political upheaval with magical realism and quiet feminine resilience.

Earnest, melancholic · about freedom and identity · ensemble

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • freedom
  • identity
  • ensemble
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
100 min
Details
Women Without MenHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

1999

A grim, methodical plunge into sexual violence and its aftermath, carried by dogged investigators and courtroom confrontations that leave a lingering heaviness.

Same writer: Marjorie David · Earnest, tense · about power

Also
Same writer: Marjorie David
Via
  • earnest
  • tense
  • power
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Seasons
28
Details
Law & Order: Special Victims UnitHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
drama
Directed by
Eran Riklis
Written by
Marjorie David, Eran Riklis
Starring
Golshifteh Farahani, Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Mina Kavani, Bahar Beihaghi, Isabella Nefar, Raha Rahbari, Lara Wolf, Shahbaz Noshir
Music
Yonatan Riklis
Cinematography
Hélène Louvart
Runtime
107 min
Country
Italy, Israel, United Kingdom
Languages
English, Persian

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikidata