Under the Skin of the City

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.