The Queen and I

As a child, filmmaker Nahid Persson Sarvestani found the King and Queen of Iran fascinating, but as a young adult, her fascination turned to frustration, and she took part in the 1979 revolution that overthrew the royal couple and led to their exile. Unfortunately, after the revolution, the political climate only worsened as the monarchy was replaced by a theocracy under the Ayatollah Khomeini; in fact, the new regime killed Sarvestani's 17-year-old brother. Since then, Sarvestani has lived in Sweden, but still feels that Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (who died a year after leaving Iran) and his glamorous wife Farah shaped her life. After receiving permission to meet with Farah (who for the past three decades has lived in France), Sarvestani travels to Paris to interview the former Empress, who talks about the rioting outside the palace and the sorrow she felt in leaving her home country. But when her handlers get wind of Sarvestani's leftist background, Farah politely denies her any further access. Eventually, the director manages to get back into the good graces of the former Queen (who even asks her interviewer a few questions, leveling the playing field between the two exiles), and Farah opens up about her courtship with the Shah, the months he battled cancer as they traveled the world (looking for a country that would allow them to stay), and the death of their daughter. Like Marjane Satrapi's illustrated memoir Persepolis, this personal approach to chronicling recent Iranian history proves far more effective than a simple recounting of dates and events. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)