威尼斯电影节威尼斯日展映。 Tehran, October 2022; a theater ensemble is rehearsing the ancient greek Lysistrata by Aristophanes. In the middle of a scene in which old men storm and attack the Acropolis, which the women of Athens have taken, the ensemble learns that they are surrounded because anti-riot forces are marching around the building and putting down a large demonstration. The street noise is deafening, and the room is filled with fear and anger. Some want to hide, others, led by the leading actress, want to go out into the streets and fight alongside the people. Despite disagreements, one thing is clear, the team does not want to continue the play in the time of the revolution. And moreover, they will never again work under censorship and regimentation of the regime. The sudden entrance of four strangers from the street brings the scary reality from outside into this closed and isolated safe environment. The ensemble stays in the rehearsal room for the night and engages in an attempt to improvise on the stories from outside, using their bodies and acting skills as forms of civil disobedience.
