A dazzling, high-stakes melodrama of exile and unraveling, The Bitter Tears of Zahra Zand is a whirlwind of glamour, heartbreak, and dark humor. As a legendary Iranian fashion designer clings to the ghosts of her past, she spirals into a tragicomic descent — fighting for relevance, identity, and survival in a country that isn’t her own.
It’s 1980’s London, although all we see is the inside of Zahra Zand’s beautifully decorated apartment with art from Iran. Zahra was a famous fashion designer in Iran before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. She is mourning her homeland, her former marriage, and her career. But she is mourning with large amounts of alcohol and by keeping all who care for her away.
The movie turns into an unexpected love story, but her lover moves away physically and emotionally. Partially due to Zahra’s dramatic emotional ups and downs.
Shot in the Persian language, the film is subtitled in English. It stars a well-known Iranian poet, Boshra Dastournezhad, who does amazing work to show the extreme emotional ups and downs of Zahra. Her emotions would go into extremes just while talking in one scene and it was actually a bit exhausting to watch. I was hoping for more about her fashions, but that was only briefly touched on.
It was interesting to see an Iranian movie with a different viewpoint that goes in unexpected directions.
Visit Cinequest for show times and to buy tickets.
Debbie Bretschneider
March 13, 2025
San Jose, California