It’s one of the great ironies that the people in the U.S. who stand opposed to trans rights often stand in kneejerk opposition to Iran and anything related to it. One could imagine great affinity between the fundamentalist religious conservatives of the U.S. and Islamic fundamentalism, if it weren’t for that pesky issue of racism and the reactive Islamophobia that comes with it.
Which is why it’s such a stirring jolt to watch Farnoosh Samadi‘s “Between Dreams and Hope,” one of the best films about a trans romance in some time… that also happens to be from Iran. Gender-affirming surgeries are available in Iran, though with tight restrictions involving parental consent, even for those seeking the surgery at university age. The fact that it’s established upfront in Samadi’s film that such a procedure is available in Iran at all should dispel some misconceptions about life in the country (though anti-trans forces in the U.S. and Europe have also peddled misinformation suggesting that the Iranian regime forces cisgender homosexuals to receive the surgery as a way of “curing” them of their homosexuality).
There’s so much in the way of misconceptions that are dispelled here that that one could see a Western viewer being taken out of Samadi’s narrative by the sheer revelatory nature of it all — except that Samadi has created such a gripping film, one of such deep empathy and narrative immersion, it’s hard to imagine anyone’s mind would wander watching “Between Dreams and Hope.” At least beyond a slack first act.
Azad (played by the cisgender female actress Fereshteh Hosseini) is a trans male who’s yet to receive gender-affirming surgery. There is a legal process for applying for one in Iran, and he’s fulfilled all the requirements except one: He needs to get his father’s signature on a form giving his permission. What follows for the 106 minutes is a flurry of conflicting pronouns as Azad is routinely misgendered by those around him, except for his girlfriend, Nora (Sadaf Asgari).
But it becomes apparent quickly what a tough life Azad has had: He grew up in a small rural village, where traditional attitudes have made trans acceptance almost impossible — the very existence of trans people there is almost unheard of. When he went to university in Tehran, he found an accepting circle of friends, and fell in love with Nora. It’s been years now since he’s seen his family. They have all but accused her of causing the death of her grandmother over the stress caused by her “being a girl who wants to become a boy.”
Hosseini and Asgari turn in deeply felt, naturalistic performances. They are not walking issues or symbols passed off as characters just to make a point. They are characters, and richly drawn. The first 40 minutes of “Between Dreams and Hope” take the tone of a hangout movie as we get to know them. We meet their friends and see them put on a little dramatic reading from “Romeo & Juliet” by which Azad proposes to Nora. He wants to marry her. But of course, in Iran, that can’t happen until his surgery is behind him. The first third of the movie drags just a bit as its characters are in a kind of limbo, wondering how to proceed: They need Azad’s father’s signature, and yet they know he will never give it. What to do?
Once Azad decides to drive to his family farm and attempt to get his father’s signature anyway, the story really kicks in — and is so compelling it mostly excuses the quasi-aimlessness of the first act. Azad’s father is unmoved, and his older brother is outright hostile and threatening violence. They need to leave her quick, the scene made all the more relentless by the camera whip-panning between Azad and her father during their argument instead of shot-reverse-shot cutting. But thankfully, Azad reconnects with his younger brother, who still lives in a mindset of pure love and compassion before the adolescent and adult impulses of shame and “what will people say?” can infect him.
Azad decides to go back to his family home that night. This time without Nora. And fateful circumstances ensue… off-camera. Azad doesn’t come back. And Nora is worried sick. The next morning, she goes to the family farm and ask if they know where Azad is. The answers Nora gets back from Azad’s father and brother are dismissive, curt, and even threatening. This doesn’t look good. And the menace is underscored by Hamadi staging most of these tense scenes in long takes. She doesn’t give us the safe haven of editing.
But the exact contours of what happened leave some twists and turns ahead, which we won’t spoil here. The tension ratchets up to the point that if you’re thinking “where is this going?” in the first 40 minutes, it becomes “I can barely stand the suspense” in the last act. It’s incredibly compelling, and made all the more immersive by the inky natural lighting of a key scene at the end. “Between Dreams and Hope” ultimately ends with one of the most memorable final shots in some time. In every way, this is a huge step up for Hamadi from her debut feature, 2020’s “180-Degree Rule.” With this second film, she’s arrived as a major filmmaker.
For Western viewers, it’ll hopefully have the added dimension of generating more empathy for Iranians and living in that country. There is nothing here that could shame Iran or its government. The urban vs. rural, liberal vs. conservative dynamic we see unfold in “Between Dreams and Hope” is much the same as in the U.S. This is a film that should make us all more sensitive, more attuned, more questioning of our biases. The fact that it’s such a riveting experience makes it all the more powerful in that regard.
Grade: A-
“Between Dreams and Hope” premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. It is currently seeking U.S. distribution.
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