A woman without hijab drags the motionless body of yet another woman, also without a hijab. They are in a homosexual relationship, and the one on the floor is intoxicated with alcohol. From the very first scene, Outcry immediately sets out to establish itself as a taboo-breaking film. This is the country where headscarves are mandatory, alcohol prohibited, and same-sex relations punishable with death. It doesn’t stop there. Thirty-eight-year-old director and writer Soheil Beiraghi includes countless “prohibited” depictions in his fourth feature film: female singing, Western music, owning a dog, planting marijuana, tattoos and so on.

Twenty-something-year-old Seti (Sarvin Zabetian), whose name means “sickle blade”, possesses a sharp tongue and the voice of an angel. She lives with her partner Homi, a butch Lesbian in her 40s. The love that dare not speak its name is never acknowledged is such, yet there is no doubt that the two women are in a profound and turbulent romance. Seti tells everyone that Homi is her mother (she even calls her “mom”) in order to camouflage their relationship. In addition to never wearing a hijab, Seti is a fan of Amy Winehouse and Leonard Cohen (Western music is largely banned in Iran). Most crucially, she sings. Women are only allowed to sing in Iran in an all-female environment, or if their voice is secondary to a male, and barely discernible. Seti starts performing on the streets, and posting the performances online. She soon attracts a huge following on social media, in a nod to Gen Z’s favourite media vehicle.

Female singing is such a taboo in the Islamic Republic that the country’s most famous pop singer Googoosh went completely silent for more than two decades after the Revolution, and only resumed singing after she moved to Canada. Seti inevitably gets in trouble with the authorities, with Homi having to sacrifice herself in order to rescue her loved one from harm. Unbeknownst to the older woman, Seti becomes romantically involved with a male, who refuses to reveal his identity (Seti affectionately nicknames “Hey You”). A cut from the shirtless man interacting with the Seti to Seti changing her clothes suggests that the two had sex. The graphic depiction of kissing and sex – gay or straight – is about the only taboo that Soheil Beiraghi is not prepared to challenge.

This politically courageous film offers to young Iranians a message of hope and also a call to action, particularly in the aftermath of the Women, Life, Freedom movement. Every voice matters. Never allow your government to silence you.

This is notm, however, a movie without shortcomings. The dialogue is often strained and literalist. Zabetian’s performance lacks the maturity required for the complexity of the character. Some of the plot developments compete instead of complementing each other (such as Seti’s relationship to Home and to “Hey You”), without ever coming full circle, or fulfilling a meaningful purpose. Plus a very cheesy ending nearly derails an otherwise fairly decent film.

Despite the fact that Outcry was independently made, there is little doubt that the regime was at least partially aware that some rules were being broken. Otherwise it would be impossible to film the street scenes, or the movie’s momentous denouement inside a subway. This is not to negate the audacity of the filmmaker, or to say that Soheil Beiraghi is in cahoots with the Ayatollah. This is to say that even a very oppressive regime understands that the arts are instrumental to their survival, and that they can benefit from allowing a very small amount freedom and tolerance to slip through the cracks.

In the past few years, some Iranians filmmakers have either dodged or negotiated with the nation’s strict censors, and portrayed hitherto unthinkable topics. This includes Ali Ahmadzadeh’s Critical Zone, which won the top prize at the Locarno International Film Festival less than two years ago, or Jahar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident, which won the Palme d’Or in Cannes this May. While Iranian filmmakers such as Mohsen Makhmalbaf and Mohammad Rasoulof are forced to live in exile, Ahmadzadeh and Panahi continue to reside in freedom in Iran (but only after facing multiple arrests and filmmaking restrictions). With a regime as fickle and authoritarian as Donald Trump, it is impossible to predict the fate of Soheil Beiraghi. We wish him all the best, and genuinely hope that he continues to make movies.

Outcry premiered in the Crystal Globe section of the 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, when this piece was originally written. For security reasons, the film was only announced weeks after the programme was revealed. The director is present at the Festival, however his cast have not accompanied him. Also showing in the 29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival