1.      Alley-Exterior-Night

The picture starts in an alley in a poor neighborhood. A 36-year-old man in a white suit is standing in front of the door welcoming the guests. The alley is decorated with string lights. There are rows of folding chairs both on the right and left sides of the house. Rental tables are arranged in front of the chairs. The table setting included Melamine plates and trays of pastry filled with Napoleon dessert and two other types of Iranian pastries, together with owls of fruits and traditional sugar cube pots. Caramel-colored and coarse unpainted clay vases of geranium plants are arranged among every few chairs. The camera approaches the house from far away. As the camera gets closer, the sound of music (6/8 beat style Persian music) and clapping of hands gets louder. The camera passes the groom and his two companions, every choice of clothing is possible, and enters the yard.

2.      Groom’s Father’s Yard-Exterior-Night

Chairs are arranged around a blue pond with vases of geranium on its edges. There are men in the yard and on the terrace. The voices coming from inside the house indicate that women are upstairs. The camera takes a full shot of the whole yard. There is a big table on the corner with a great golden samovar (a traditional Kashmiri kettle) and a porcelain teapot painted with red flowers, plus a huge tray filled with thin-waisted teacups with a pattern of Nasir al-Din Shah[1] together with small golden edge saucers. A man is hastily pouring tea into the cups and several young guys take the full trays and bring them back empty, and then, wait for them to be filled again. At the other corner, pots of food are placed on burners. There are also a handful of old wooden beds covered with Iranian carpet and rugs, together with floor backrests. Several old men, who were family elders were sitting on them. The camera turns to take a shot of the stone stairs with white iron railings. A path towards the floor allocated to the ceremony for women. Several young boys are standing down the stairs with glasses in their hands. They are drinking alcohol. The camera goes upstairs and enters a room with a decorated wedding table (Sofreh Aghd) in the middle of the room.

3.      Interior-Wedding Room-Night

The room is empty. The camera takes a full shot of the wedding table with two empty chairs across from the mirror that is placed in the middle of the table. Then, the camera makes a turn and films the whole empty room. Nobody is in the room, except for a little girl in a dress that looks like a wedding dress. The girl seems to be about seven or eight years old. Tiny and swarthy. She has a little makeup on and wore a small tiara on her black hair. It appears that she is sulking. She is sitting on one of the chairs in the corner of the room with fallen shoulders and stared at a small doll that dell under her feet. This room is connected to another room with a door. The door opens and the sound of the door is heard, and the camera turns toward the sound. A woman with heavy makeup wearing a Chador[2] with a floral pattern wrapped around her waist enters the room looking for the little girl. She approached the little girl, took out a lip gloss from under her Chador, and rubbed it on the little girl’s yellowish and pale cheeks. She takes the doll and points it to the girl.

The woman in floral Chador: Look how pretty it is! Don’t you like it?

The little girl pushes the doll away. The woman is irritated. She pinches the little girl on her skinny flank, then, ground her teeth, she is wearing a cheap pink pearl lip gloss on her lips, which is uneven and messy at some parts.

The woman in floral Chador tells her: What the heck is wrong with you? Look how happy everyone is and you’re the only one sitting here with such a long face!

She took the bookey that is next to the girl on the chair and puts it in her hands resentfully, then hides the doll under her Chador. The camera zooms on the little girl’s face. She is hanging her head down and staring at the bookey. A drop of tear falls directly on the bookey. The song changes and the song of “Che Khoshgel Shodi Emshab” (You Are so Pretty Tonight) starts. Women start cheering and the woman in floral Chador exits the interior door to join other women. The camera follows the woman into the other room.

4.      Interior-Women’s Room: A hall next to the wedding room-Night

Women are sitting on the ground or the chairs. They are clapping their hands. A woman is dancing in the middle of the room. She is wearing a satin black scarf on top of the tower of her chignon hair, together with a long black dress with a pattern of green and silver peacock, and she has heavy makeup on with green and silver sparkly eyeshadow. She stretches out her hands toward the woman with floral Chador and askes her to join her.

A woman’s voice is heard: Rounds of applauds for the groom’s sister.

Women start cheering and clapping their hands. Two women are dancing together. Some women whisper something in each others’ ears and laugh. Some are eating fruit and pastry. Suddenly a voice is heard from outside and the music is turned off. Two women standing next to the window draw the curtains. The camera moves towards the yard from the window. Several police officers and women in Chador are standing in the middle of the yard surrounded by the groom and several other men.

5.      Exterior-Yard-Night

The camera takes a full shot from the whole yard.

Groom’s Father:  (Talks in Persian (preferably Harat dialect) to one of the male officers): Brother[3] this is not one of those ignoble parties that you patrol around the city to stop.

The officer does not reply. Three women in Chador runs up the stairs inside the women’s ceremony. One of them leads two others in the front.

The camera shows two young boys of the family taking a 4-liter alcohol container to the back of the yard. They are panting and trying to move stealthily so one can see them. The camera zooms on them.

6.      Exterior-Yard-A Hallway to Backyard-Night

One of the boys holds his hands and the other one climbs one top of him and throws the 4-liter alcohol container into the neighbor’s house. The Voice of a loud horn is heard and they both look into the camera in horror.

7.      Exterior-Yard-Next to Pond-Night

The camera is on eye level next to the groom’s father, groom, and police officers. The camera is located in a place to see the stairs towards the women’s ceremony and terrace as well. The groom whispers something in his father’s ear. The father shakes his head with certainty. The officers are standing there in all seriousness, without saying a single word and looking towards the women’s ceremony.

Groom’s Father: Officer I know our ceremony abides by the rules of our religion and …

The female officer in black Chador exists the door leading two others. With the little girl in her arms and the woman in floral Chador is clinging to her imploringly. The little girl starts crying. Women are watching from behind the window and the terrace. She tries to snatch the little girl out of the officer’s hands.

 Groom’s Father (howls at the female officer in Chador): Hey woman what are you doing?

Male Officer (to Groom’s Father with anger): Watch your tongue, sir. It’s Deputy Prosecutor you are talking to! Assaulting an officer while on duty is a grave crime …

Two female officers in Chador seize the woman in floral Chador and take her off of deputy prosecutor. The deputy prosecutor climbs down the stairs holding the little girl in her hands. She looks at the groom in disgust.

Deputy Prosecutor (scolded the groom): Find yourself an older bride!

She exits the door with the little girl.

[1] Traditional Persian Teacups

[2] A large piece of cloth worns by Muslim women

[3] Religious men use this word to call other men