Trapped

This fascinating moral thriller is centered on the bristling relationship between two very different young women in contemporary Tehran. Nazanin (Nazanin Bayati) is a determined first year medical student. Since there is no free space in the university dorm and Nazanin does not have much money, she is obliged to share an apartment with Sahar (Pegah Ahangarani), a party lover who works in a fragrance shop. Sahar badly wants to migrate from Iran, so she’s borrowed money from a man in the bazaar. When this man makes an opportunistic complaint against Sahar, she is imprisoned. There have been some very some rocky times between the two roommates and their conflicting lifestyles, but Nazanin will now do everything she can to have her friend released.

Directed by Parviz Shahbazi, Trapped leans on a strong ensemble — Pegah Ahangarani, Behrang Alavi, Nazanin Bayati — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 2013.