The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Show reviews
    • Interviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Cannes
      • Sundance London
      • Venice
      • London
  • Music
    • Live music
    • Album reviews
    • Interviews
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
    • Fringe
    • Vault Festival
    • Interviews
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Interviews
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join the team
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

Film festivals Berlin Film Festival 2021

Ballad of a White Cow (Ghasideyeh gave sefid)

Berlin Film Festival 2021: Ballad of a White Cow (Ghasideyeh gave sefid) | Review
4th March 2021
Avatar photo
Oliver Johnston
Avatar
Oliver Johnston
4 March 2021

Movie and show review

Oliver Johnston

Ballad of a White Cow (Ghasideyeh gave sefid)

★★★★★

Special event

Berlin Film Festival 2021

1st to 5th March 2021

There’s a deep-seated and inevitable sense of bleakness to Ballad of a White Cow, from co-directors Behtash Sanaeeha and Maryam Moghaddam. Still, it’s not as though a film dealing with the emotional and logistical aftermath of a mistaken execution would be all that cheery. However, the feature takes on its burdensome subject matter with intelligence and compassion, delivering a story that’s rather affecting.

The Iranian authorities have admitted that they made an error in executing Mina’s husband, as it turns out that someone else committed the murder for which he had been condemned. Mina (played by co-director Maryam Moghaddam) will be compensated with the “full price for an adult male.” Beyond that, this vulgar miscarriage of justice is dismissed as God’s will. The repercussions of her husband’s death linger as Mina and her young daughter are forced to deal with the normalised devaluation of being a single woman in contemporary Iran.

The insights into Iranian society are fascinating to behold, although they’re presented without judgement or direct commentary – it’s more a matter of viewing Iranian societal norms from a Western point of view. When the protagonist attempts to find a new flat, she’s told that landlords are unwilling to rent to “widows, dog and cat owners or junkies.” Mina faces mounting prejudice simply by virtue of having lost a husband. Moghaddam is outstanding in the role, giving the character a warmth and control that avoids histrionics.

It’s the appearance of Reza (Alireza Sanifar), a supposed acquaintance of Mina’s dead husband, that gives the picture its narrative momentum. The fact that he has his own agenda is plainly obvious, even though Mina may not immediately see it. This point comes across as engineered, with the sort of coincidence necessary to advance a film’s plot, and is immediately forgiven, if noticed at all.

Ultimately an indirect indictment of capital punishment and the judiciary and general society that permits it, Ballad of a White Cow is infinitely more uplifting than its content might suggest.

★★★★★

Oliver Johnston

Ballad of a White Cow (Ghasideyeh gave sefid) does not have a UK release date yet.

Read more reviews from our Berlin Film Festival 2021 coverage here.

For further information about the event visit the Berlin Film Festival website here.

Watch the trailer for Ballad of a White Cow (Ghasideyeh gave sefid) here:

Related Itemsberlin film festivalberlinalefilm festivalreview

More in Berlinale

“We wanted to shed light on the stories of these real women”: The cast and creatives on The Good Mothers at Berlin Film Festival 2023

Sarah Bradbury
Read More

Le Grand Chariot (The Plough)

★★★★★
Selina Sondermann
Read More

“Australia Day is called Invasion Day by indigenous people – if they want everyone involved, then change it”: Ivan Sen on Limbo at Berlin Film Festival 2023

Oliver Johnston
Read More

“There’s a richness there that’s only really starting to be tapped”: Simon Baker on Limbo at Berlin Film Festival 2023

Oliver Johnston
Read More

Bis ans Ende der Nacht (Till the End of the Night)

★★★★★
Selina Sondermann
Read More

Roter Himmel (Afire)

★★★★★
Selina Sondermann
Read More

Viver Mal (Living Bad)

★★★★★
Oliver Johnston
Read More

Le Gang des Bois du Temple (The Temple Woods Gang)

★★★★★
Oliver Johnston
Read More

Sur l’Adamant (On the Adamant): “A valuable contribution to the conversation surrounding mental health treatment”

★★★★★
Selina Sondermann
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Movie and show review

Oliver Johnston

Ballad of a White Cow (Ghasideyeh gave sefid)

★★★★★

Special event

Berlin Film Festival 2021

1st to 5th March 2021

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Your Christmas or Mine 2
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Earth Mama
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • The Homecoming at the Young Vic
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Sophie Ellis-Bextor at Hammersmith Apollo
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • The Nutcracker at the Turbine Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Anselm
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • The Homecoming at the Young Vic
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • The Nutcracker at the Turbine Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Sophie Ellis-Bextor at Hammersmith Apollo
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Your Christmas or Mine 2
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Anselm
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • The Homecoming at the Young Vic
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Sophie Ellis-Bextor at Hammersmith Apollo
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • The Nutcracker at the Turbine Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Your Christmas or Mine 2
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
The Upcoming
  • Contact us
  • Join the team
  • Subscribe to the mailing list
  • Support us
  • Writing for The Upcoming

Copyright © 2011-2023 FL Media