‘Bidad’ Review: In This Bracing Protest Drama, a Talented Singer Uses Her Voice to Take on the Iranian Regime

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Representations of Iran in popular American media often portray the country as teeming with fervent religious zealots burning U.S. or Israeli flags. However, those who have watched quality Iranian films, such as those by renowned directors like Abbas Kiarostami, Jafar Panahi, and Asghar Farhadi, or emerging filmmakers defying the system with each new release, soon realize that Iran encompasses a broad spectrum of social groups. Although there is only one supreme leader, the populace is as diverse and unique as can be, and they are not easily suppressed in their voices.

In the gritty film Bidad, directed by Soheil Beiraghi, the main character Seti – a feisty heroine – is both a passionate singer and an exemplar of Amy Winehouse. Her life mirrors Winehouse’s tumultuous journey, filled with ups and downs. Much like other young Iranian women of her generation, Seti minimizes wearing a headscarf and defies the authorities who monitor the streets for nonconformists. However, she faces challenges in expressing herself freely under a regime that suppresses individualism, particularly when it comes from a woman. Her one desire is to sing, but how can she do so in such an oppressive environment?

In the gritty film “Bidad,” portrayed by Sarvin Zabetiyan (from the work “Terrestrial Verses”), the character Seti transforms from an unrecognized artist seeking gigs, into a viral sensation representing Iran’s defiant youth. However, her defiance comes at a significant cost. Filmed without official permission, this movie exposes a hidden aspect of Iranian life that typically evades censorship – a secret underworld inhabited by musicians, punks, and drug users, struggling to survive in a nation where authorities work tirelessly to suppress dissent and anger.

Previously, Beiraghi depicted suppressed female talent in his second film, titled “Cold Sweat”. This movie centers around an indoor soccer player whose husband attempts to derail her career due to outright chauvinism. Unlike “Cold Sweat”, which was set within the realm of professional sports and television news, the film “Bidad” is based in Tehran’s underground counterculture. Here, clandestine concerts occur in vast subterranean spaces, and rebellious young men cultivate marijuana in their domestic gardens. This setting evokes memories of Ali Ahmadzadeh’s groundbreaking yet subversive work, “Critical Zone”. Similarly to “Critical Zone”, “Bidad” was filmed without authorization and follows a character through the city during their nightly exploits.

At the beginning of the movie, young Seti voices her frustration to a music teacher, expressing her inability to be heard. The teacher responds by stating that female singers should never overpower the male musicians they’re collaborating with. However, determined and talented songwriter Seti disregards this guidance, performing at an underground venue. Unfortunately, their performance is interrupted as Iran’s Guidance Patrol, akin to the vice squad of the Islamic regime, arrives to shut it down.

With an unwavering determination to continue her singing, she elects to perform acapella from a hidden alleyway, drawing passersby who capture her show on video and share it across the internet. Soon, Seti becomes a beacon of artistic defiance, embodying a generation of young Iranian women who are galvanized by Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who lost her life in police custody after she refused to wear a hijab.

As a gamer immersed in the story of Seti, I follow her turbulent journey marked by an arrest and imprisonment. Amidst this chaos, I pay close attention to two significant relationships that shape her troubled life. The first is with my fiery, alcoholic mother (Leyli Rashidi), whose volatile temperament often triggers her to erupt like a volcano, forcing me to flee our home into the cold night. The second is with a charming yet somewhat eccentric pothead (Amir Jadidi) who becomes my unlikely confidant. He helps me emerge from my shell, particularly after I develop a stutter following my harrowing experience in lock-up.

In this movie, neither character is ordinary – they both make significant sacrifices to help Seti escape a difficult predicament. By filling his film with rebels and outcasts from all walks of life, Beiraghi portrays Iran, particularly Tehran, as a place teeming with unrest, on the verge of erupting at any moment. Although Seti is exceptionally gifted, she’s not an anomaly. The film Bidad focuses on one singer’s story but also illustrates how she represents a larger, growing collective voice.

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2025-07-09 22:54