The Day I Became A Woman  (2000)

Theatrical Release Information:
The Day I Became A Woman

Directed by Marzieh Meshkini, wife of acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf, this film tells three intertwined tales of women's struggle for identity in their native country, from the young to the elderly. Episode one, entitled "Havva," concerns a young girl on the morning of her ninth birthday. Against her better wishes, she is forced to stay home, away from her best friend who has asked her to play with him, due to her mother and grandmother's proclamation that she is now a woman. Learning she was born at noon, the young girl requests one more hour to do what she wishes so she can be a girl one last time. Episode two, entitled "Ahoo," follows a young woman who is being pursued on horseback by her stern husband, whom she is fleeing on bicycle in the midst of a women's biking race. Soon, her in-laws and relatives are also pursuing her, and she must make a quick decision about whether or not to return to family life. The final episode, called "Houra," follows an elderly woman who enlists the help of a young boy and his friends to take her on a shopping spree, where she intends to buy all of the things she has ever wanted out of life. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide