Director: Hossein Babaeian
Cast: Abolfazl Hamrah, Afshin Sang Chap, Leila Azizi, Mahsa Hashemi, Mehran Rajabi
Sharm'e Goftan is a 2020 Iranian family-social film directed by Hossein Babaeian, centered on a young girl navigating a school essay assignment that forces her to confront questions about her father's identity and livelihood — questions that remain stubbornly unanswered.
What is Sharm'e Goftan about?
A teenage girl receives a classroom writing assignment: compose an essay about her father and what he does for work. It seems like a simple task, but when she turns to her father with the question, she finds no clear answer waiting for her. The silence that follows sets off a quiet but consequential chain of events as she tries to piece together who her father truly is and why the subject of his occupation is so difficult to discuss. The film follows her journey through that uncertainty, tracing how a school project can expose the hidden layers of a family's private life and the unspoken codes that govern what gets said — and what does not — within the walls of a home.
Cast & crew
The film is directed by Hossein Babaeian, an Iranian filmmaker working in the family and social drama space. The cast includes Abolfazl Hamrah and Afshin Sang Chap in supporting roles, alongside Leila Azizi, Mahsa Hashemi, Mehran Rajabi, Sedigheh Kianfar, and Sima Matlabi, who together form the ensemble that brings this domestic story to life.
Context & significance
Iranian social cinema has a strong tradition of examining everyday family life through the eyes of children and teenagers — a perspective that allows filmmakers to address adult tensions with a kind of honest, unguarded clarity. Sharm'e Goftan fits within that lineage, using the premise of a school essay to open up questions about transparency, shame, and the things families choose not to say aloud. For diaspora viewers, stories rooted in the private rhythms of Iranian domestic life often carry a particular resonance, evoking memories of homes where certain topics were managed in silence. This film offers a quiet, character-driven look at those dynamics.
Where & how to watch
Sharm'e Goftan is available to stream on K-Time with original Persian audio. Watch on the web, on your TV, or on your phone — no VPN needed, no geo-blocking, and you can cancel anytime.