Synopsis

Like Hiroshi Teshigahara's Woman in the Dunes, 67-year-old Kobra battles the elements on a lagoon in Iran to eke out a living for herself and her 100-year-old invalid mother.

Even on New Year's day she is out in her rowboat before dawn, dropping and hauling her nets for the modest catch. She must argue fiercely with the men in the marketplace for a fair price, and physically battle fishermen on the water who claim the territory where her nets are placed.

In an unforgettable scene the men tear her nets and scuffle with her on the deck until she falls into the water.

Mother and daughter live together in a weather-beaten cottage on the edge of the lagoon. Pictures of their deceased loved ones surround them. It's their love for one another that sustains them.



With simplicity and honesty, this documentary makes a universal statement of the harsh realities many women face, and the strength that sustains them. -- Academic Video Store

Each day before dawn, 67 year old Kobra goes fishing in a small rowing boat tied to her porch. Her house stands on the water’s edge.



It is a tough life. She tries to sell her meager catch at the local market to support herself and her old mother, but she must fight with dealers and thieves (of her fish net) in an all male environment first.



The camera follows her home, where she takes loving care of her mother, looked over by photos of her deceased husband and father… --Mubi

Awards:

Documentary Film Festival, Amsterdam, 2000
Gold Medal, International Film Festival, Teheran, 1999