My Favourite Cake

First impressions matter, although in cinema the last impression is undeniably crucial. How many movies have been ruined by a bad ending? This isn’t to say that the ending of My Favourite Cake (Keyke mahboobe man) is bad; it’s just the result of some bizarre script choices that change the tone of the feature (and even feel a tad emotionally manipulative). These choices mean that Keyke mahboobe man must settle for being a very good film, instead of a great one.

Mahin (Lily Farhadpour) is a widowed 70-year-old living in Tehran. Her children have long since left Iran, and it soon becomes clear that Mahin’s downtrodden, slightly dour manner is nothing more than loneliness. She comes alive when talking to her children and grandchildren, and when she meets up with friends it’s like an Iranian reboot of The Golden Girls. Mahin still has a lot of living to do, and she wants to do it with a man by her side. With some spontaneous pseudo-stalking, Mahin gets to know Esmail (Esmail Mehrabi), a local taxi driver, and Cupid starts firing arrows in their direction.

It’s challenging to elaborate on the story without spoiling anything, so suffice to say, the abrupt tonal shift towards the conclusion is quite jarring. It’s a heartwarming film… until it isn’t. There were even a number of audible “Awwwwws” from the assembled journalists at the press screening, and it’s no mean feat to elicit that kind of response from an early morning pack of cynical movie critics. This all makes that previously mentioned unexpected narrative shift all the more frustrating.

None of these criticisms erase all that’s impressive in the piece, and there’s a lot to choose from – starting with the luminous performances of Farhadpour and Mehrabi. The movie is surprisingly critical of the Iranian regime, particularly in terms of the morality police and their enforcement of Iran’s return to strict hijab laws for women. It could be wondered how the co-directors (Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha) got away with it. It turns out they didn’t. The filmmakers will not be present at their film’s Berlinale premiere, since the Iranian government has banned them from leaving the country.

Oliver Johnston

My Favourite Cake does not have a UK release date yet.

Read more reviews from our Berlin Film Festival 2024 coverage here.

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

Watch a clip from My Favourite Cake here: