A new film adaptation of Azar Nafisi's memoir "Reading Lolita in Tehran" has arrived in select cinemas, bringing to the screen a story of intellectual resistance under Iran's theocratic regime. Directed by Israeli filmmaker Eran Riklis, the movie stars Golshifteh Farahani and Zar Amir Ebrahimi, alongside Israeli entertainer Rita, in a production that bridges cultures through literature's power to illuminate oppression.
The film is the focus of a recent episode of The Reel Schmooze, a podcast hosted by Amanda Borschel-Dan, deputy editor of The Times of Israel, and Jordan Hoffman, the publication's long-time film reviewer. Their discussion explores how Riklis translates Nafisi's bestselling 2003 autobiography—published 23 years ago—into a visual narrative structured around classic Western literature.
Literature as Resistance
Nafisi's memoir, described as a "memoir in books," recounts her experience teaching forbidden Western literature to a group of young women in post-revolutionary Tehran. The film adaptation divides its narrative into chapters based on famous works including "The Great Gatsby," "Daisy Miller," and "Pride and Prejudice." These aren't just literary references. They're windows into worlds where women made choices, spoke freely, and lived beyond the constraints that Iran's regime imposed on its female citizens.
Farahani, known for her role in "Paterson," leads a cast that includes Ebrahimi and Kavani. The presence of Rita, an Israeli mega-star, in a film about Iranian women's lives under repression adds another layer to a production that crosses political and cultural boundaries through shared human experience.
Bridging Divided Worlds
The podcast episode opens with what's called a unique dvar Torah from Hoffman, connecting the new blockbuster "The Odyssey" with James Joyce's "Ulysses" and antisemitism in Ireland—a discussion the hosts say "goes well with white fish." It's an approach that mirrors the film's own method: using literature to illuminate how authoritarianism operates, whether in revolutionary Iran or elsewhere.
The Reel Schmooze, produced by Ari Schlacht, is available wherever podcasts are found. Borschel-Dan also hosts The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing and What Matters Now podcasts, while heading up the publication's features section.
Why This Matters:
This film arrives as Iranian women continue facing severe restrictions on their freedom, education, and bodily autonomy under a regime that's only tightened its grip since Nafisi's book appeared two decades ago. The story of women gathering secretly to read banned literature isn't just historical—it's a reminder that intellectual freedom and women's rights remain under assault in Iran today. That an Israeli director chose to tell this story, with Israeli and Iranian actors working together, suggests art's capacity to transcend the political hostilities that keep their governments at odds. The film doesn't just document how a regime "turned rotten"—it shows how people resist through the simple, radical act of reading together.