Director: Dariush Mehrjui
Cast: Ezzatolah Entezami, Bita Farrahi, Khosro Shakibai, Gohar Kheyrandish, Ferdous Kaviani
Banoo is a 1992 Iranian drama film directed by Dariush Mehrjui, one of the defining voices of Iranian New Wave cinema. Starring Ezzatolah Entezami and Bita Farrahi, the film examines class, betrayal, and a woman's quiet act of self-reclamation against the backdrop of a crumbling marriage.
What is Banoo about?
Maryam, a well-off but emotionally adrift woman, discovers her husband is unfaithful. Rather than confronting him directly, she retreats inward — and then, by chance, opens her door to a destitute couple: a laborer and his pregnant wife who desperately need shelter and care. Maryam's instinct toward generosity draws them inside, and for a brief interval her loneliness lifts. But the guests' family follows, and what began as compassion curdles as furniture disappears and the household is overrun. When her husband returns and offers an apology, Maryam refuses to receive it. She walks out — not in anger, but with the quiet certainty of someone who has finally chosen herself.
Cast & crew
Ezzatolah Entezami, one of Iranian cinema's most revered character actors, anchors the film with understated authority. Bita Farrahi brings restraint and sorrow to Maryam, making her gradual transformation feel entirely earned. Khosro Shakibai, Gohar Kheyrandish, and Ferdous Kaviani fill out a strong ensemble that keeps the film grounded in recognizable human behavior rather than melodrama.
Context & significance
Mehrjui made Banoo at a time when Iranian cinema was carving a distinct identity on the world stage — films of social realism, domestic intimacy, and subtle political undertow. Banoo fits that lineage: it is a film about a woman's interior world, rendered with patience and moral seriousness. For diaspora viewers, it connects to an era of Iranian filmmaking that felt both rooted in everyday Persian life and internationally significant. The class critique embedded in its story — generosity exploited, order unraveling — speaks across decades, while Maryam's final departure resonates as a quiet assertion of personhood that still feels contemporary.
Where & how to watch
Banoo is available to stream on K-Time in its original Persian audio. No extra download or VPN is needed — watch on the web browser, your TV, or your phone. Cancel your K-Time membership anytime.