Kudos are also in order for Jabbari, who does most of the heavy lifting on screen and handles the emotionally draining subject matter in confident, captivating fashion.

While the film can be taken to an extent as a critique of Iran's strictly regimented societal norms, it's even more a devastating dissection of parent-child dysfunctions that know no national borders.

Foroughi has a great ear for dialogue, and the back-and-forth between husband and wife or mother and daughter feels completely natural.