“Sepideh: Reaching for the Stars”

By Kevin Schillinger | Echo

It pains me when some people say they don't like documentaries. Sure, they may not all be the most stimulating films in the world, but many of them provide a wealth of information. Unfortunately our society has gotten to a point where we need things to be moving at the speed of light in order to hold our attention. This is something not many documentaries can do well. The responsibility of a documentary first and foremost is to tell the truth. However, there are times when a story is so captivating, so moving, that it almost seems like it can't be true. Welcome to the story of "Sepideh," shown first at this year's Sundance Film Festival.

Sepideh is a teenage girl from Iran. She lives at home with her mother and her brother; her dad passed away when she was younger. Sepideh spends her free time researching stars and constellations. She watches videos on the Internet of Anousheh Ansari, the only Iranian to go to space. She even saved money and bought a telescope to stargaze at night with her friends. Astronomy is something she finds solace in.

However, everyone seems to be against her. Her mother thinks Sepideh is a smart girl but believes that she should be spending her time doing more important things, such as studying medicine. Her uncles dominate her life and try to prevent her from pursuing her interests.

No matter what she does, the odds are against Sepideh. In some of the most beautiful aspects of the film, Sepideh writes letters to the long-dead Einstein that she reads aloud. Though she knows he is dead, he is her idol, and the scene is reminiscent of a little kid writing to his hero. In these moments, we hear everything that is going through Sepideh's mind. We get to hear her drive, her ambition, her failures and her fears. The audience never questions her ability to become an astronomer.

This is truly the best documentary I have ever seen. The best documentaries may sound boring on the surface but end up exploring many more topics and themes than expected. When I first read the summary for the film, I was not impressed in the least. After I finished the viewing at Sundance, I realized that the film explored topics like Middle Eastern culture, dealing with grief, coming of age, persistence and chasing your dreams. All this from a tiny film about a girl in the rural desert of Iran.

Call it cliché. Call it predictable. Call it whatever you want. There comes a point once in a while where we all need a fairytale ending. The thing that makes this one so special is that it really happened. Instead of focusing on how bad "real life" is, director Berit Madsen refuses to comply with that line of thinking. That itself is unbelievably refreshing.

Thumbnail photo courtesy of deadline.nl.