DARIA’S NIGHT FLOWERS

France, Iran, UK | 2025 | 26 min | col. | Farsi

Daria penned her first novel and dedicated it to a mysterious girl called “abi” (which means “blue” in Farsi) with whom she is in love. The night flowers in her garden conceal the secrets of a country that considers romantic relationships between women like criminal acts. With her latest short film, Iranian experimental artist Maryam Tafakory completes a trilogy of works that delves into the archives of pre- and post-revolution Iranian cinema to investigate it. While Mast-Del (2023) focused on a story told by a woman to another while both lie on a bed, and Razeh-del (2024) depicted two high school girls who write to a women’s journal, for Daria’s Night Flowers Tafakory has drawn from dozens of Farsi-language films, ranging from classics to lesser-known titles. She thereby weaves a plot of jealousy, repressed ambition, and creative suppression. Halfway between an essay-film and oneiric fiction, this is a wonderful poem in images dedicated to women who are “restless with illicit desire.” (A.S.)