10+4

In what can be considered a sequel to Abbas Kiarostami's award-winning masterpiece “10,” in which she starred, Mania Akbari reprises her role as a strong woman dealing with the everyday struggles of life in modern Tehran. The main difference we find here is that Akbari is now dealing with breast cancer. Borrowing the documentary style of the previous film, Akbari takes us on her journey through chemotherapy and her coping with the same daily grind, only now with a heavier burden. We follow her travels in a car through the streets of Tehran where she confides her fears and anxieties with family members and friends, only to be regularly accosted by ignorant bystanders and fellow drivers. What Akbari aims to convey is the solidarity she has found in her fellow cancer patients and friends while depicting the various reactions she gets – both positive and negative. What soon is revealed is not just “another breast cancer story” but a view of a strong woman who stands up to adversity both inside and outside of her body. (In Farsi with English subtitles) – WFG