Life and a Day
On the eve of a young woman’s arranged marriage, a struggling Tehran family buckles under poverty, addiction, illness, and divided loyalties.
Overview
A poignant exploration of familial bonds and the harsh realities of life in Tehran.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- harrowing
- intimate
- claustrophobic
- serious film night
- iranian cinema watchlist
What critics said
Critics and audiences broadly regard the film as a powerful, emotionally devastating, and sharply observed portrait of family hardship in contemporary Iran.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Somayeh’s family confronts illness, drug abuse, debt, and an impending marriage as interconnected survival problems.
The impoverished Tehran household and its volatile daily routines create an enclosed, observational atmosphere.
Somayeh’s departure to marry a supposedly wealthy Afghan is driven through the family’s financial and social anxieties.
Teenage Navid is described as intelligent but at risk of being ruined by the environment created by his family’s crises.
Films like Life and a Day, and why
A Separation
socially grounded family drama focused on poverty, obligation, and emotional fracture
The Salesman
intimate Iranian drama depicting domestic conflict, moral pressure, and class hardship
Shoplifters
raw ensemble family drama shaped by economic desperation and escalating interpersonal tension
Movie Details
- Director
- Saeed Roustaee
- Release Date
- 2016-03-16
- Runtime
- 112 min
- Rating
- 7.9 / 10 (77)
Cast
- Payman Maadi
- Parinaz Izadyar
- Navid Mohammadzadeh
- Shabnam Moghadami
- Rima Raminfar
- Mahdi Gorbani
- Masoumeh Rahmani
- Shirin Yazdanbakhsh
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Life and a Day about?
- On the eve of a young woman’s arranged marriage, a struggling Tehran family buckles under poverty, addiction, illness, and divided loyalties.
- What is Life and a Day like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Life and a Day as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Life and a Day violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Life and a Day as mild.
- What did critics think of Life and a Day?
- Critics and audiences broadly regard the film as a powerful, emotionally devastating, and sharply observed portrait of family hardship in contemporary Iran.
- Which films are like Life and a Day?
- Films with a similar feel include A Separation, The Salesman, and Shoplifters.
- How long is Life and a Day?
- Life and a Day runs 112 minutes.
- Where can I watch Life and a Day?
- In United States, Life and a Day is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video.
