Shirin features 113 close-ups of mostly Iranian actresses as they watch a film version of Khosrow and Shirin, a 12th century Persian romantic poem. Though the film being watched is never shown, nor does it even exist as an actual separate film, the soundtrack conveys the narrative while each of the women’s faces expresses a multitude of emotions. At once playful and deeply conceptual, Kiarostami’s film deconstructs the act of spectating in a compelling experiment with strong feminist overtones.
