Under the Skin of the City

Under the Skin of the City

Year: 2001

Runtime: 92 mins

Language: Persian

Director: Rakhshan Banietemad

Drama

Tuba endures grueling shifts at a textile factory in Iran, then returns each night to a troubled household. Her pregnant daughter suffers regular abuse from her husband; her teenage son drifts into radical politics and trouble; her older son schemes to sell their modest home to fund an engineering job in Japan, hoping to escape the country.

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Timeline & Setting – Under the Skin of the City (2001)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Under the Skin of the City (2001). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Early 2000s

The events occur during Iran’s sixth parliamentary elections, a time of political campaigning and public demonstrations in urban centers. Life is defined by scarcity, long factory hours, and pressure from both family obligations and political currents. The period anchors a sense of urgency as characters navigate survival within a changing sociopolitical landscape.

Location

Tehran, Iran, Mellat Park, Orumiyeh

The story unfolds in Tehran's working-class districts, where cramped apartments and crowded textile factories shape daily life. Mellat Park appears as a backdrop for moments of search and danger amid the city’s public bustle. The plot also brings a segment of the journey to Orumiyeh, reflecting the reach of crime and labor networks beyond the capital.

🏙️ Urban Tehran 🧭 Social and political climate 🧱 Working-class neighborhoods

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 14:11

Main Characters – Under the Skin of the City (2001)

Meet the key characters of Under the Skin of the City (2001), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Tooba (Baran Kosari)

Tooba is a working-class mother whose health suffers from long factory hours and unsafe conditions. She anchors the family with quiet strength, navigating poverty while safeguarding her children from exploitation and harm. Her choice to speak to documentarians on election day marks a pivotal moment of personal sacrifice for truth.

👩‍👧‍👦 Family devotion 🏭 Worker hardship

Abbas (Mohammad Reza Foroutan)

Abbas is the eldest son who dreams of earning enough to send money home and longs for a better life in Japan. Faced with economic desperation, he descends into questionable work with a drug trafficker, testing his loyalty to family and moral boundaries.

💼 Family breadwinner 🧭 Moral dilemma

Ali (Mohsen Ghazi Moradi)

Ali is the youngest, curious about politics and drawn to campaigns during the election. His inexperience makes him vulnerable to trouble as he gets involved in demonstrations, highlighting the gap between youthful idealism and harsh realities.

🧭 Political curiosity 👶 Youth engagement

Maryam (Homeira Riazi)

Maryam is the neighbor who shares a bond with Tooba at the textile factory and navigates her own family’s pressures, including preparing for her eldest daughter's wedding. She embodies the solidarity and strain of working-class urban life.

👩‍👧‍👧 Family bonds 🏭 Working-class neighbor

Masoumeh (Mehrave Sharifinia)

Masoumeh, Maryam’s younger daughter, endures abuse and eventually runs away, her plight drawing others into a rescue attempt. Her storyline exposes the vulnerabilities within family life and the social dangers lurking in the city.

👭 Sibling bond 🕊️ Escape

Somaya (Golab Adine)

Somaya is Maryam’s elder daughter whose wedding unfolds against the backdrop of the family’s struggles. She represents hope and the pressure of social expectations in a marginalized community.

💍 Wedding joy 👩‍👧 Family expectations

Architect (Ebrahim Sheibani)

The architect is a pressuring figure who seeks to push the family’s house deed into his control, representing predatory property deals and the threat of losing one’s home to unscrupulous schemes.

🏗️ Property pressure 💼 Corruption

Drug Boss (Ahmad Yavari Shad)

The drug trafficker is a danger looming over Abbas’s illegal work, illustrating how crime networks exploit economic desperation and pull the family deeper into peril.

💊 Crime networks 🏷️ Exploitation

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 14:11

Major Themes – Under the Skin of the City (2001)

Explore the central themes of Under the Skin of the City (2001), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🏚️ Poverty

Poverty threads through every decision: dangerous factory work, debt, and the theft of the house deed to secure money for basic needs. The family’s attempts to protect each other collide with harsh economic conditions and predatory schemes. Survival requires sacrifice, sometimes at the cost of personal safety and dignity.

🗳️ Politics

The sixth elections frame the world outside as a force pressing on private life. Ali’s political curiosity pulls him toward demonstrations and campaigns, while Tooba’s choice to reveal the truth shows how public events can strain or save a family. The film probes the cost of political engagement in a city where power and poverty are tightly interwoven.

👪 Family resilience

The family remains the central refuge and battleground as love, duty, and fear intersect. Parents provide for children while grappling with safety and honor; siblings tempt fate for a better future. The narrative emphasizes endurance, mutual support, and the difficult decisions made to keep the family intact.

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 14:11

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