I Just Want to Talk to My Mom

Iran is at war. In Istanbul, actress Reyhaneh (Reyhaneh Parsa) is heading to a meeting that could change her career when her world suddenly narrows to one unanswered phone call. Her mother is alone in Tehran, internet access is restricted, and no one can tell her what is happening. Reyhaneh keeps moving through the city, calling friends, strangers, anyone with a fragment of news. Traffic roars around her; the screen glows in her hand. Still, no voice comes through. With every failed attempt, fear begins to replace fact – and imagination becomes its own form of torment.

Built around Parsa’s raw, tightly controlled performance, “I Just Want to Talk to My Mom” turns an ordinary journey into a relentless psychological pressure chamber. Director Mohsen Rabiei uses spare dialogue and alert visual storytelling to let Iran’s social, cultural and political realities enter without breaking the film’s intimate grip. His focus remains fiercely personal: one woman, one absent voice, and the cruel distance between hope and knowing. How long can Reyhaneh keep calling when every silence threatens to become an answer?

Milani Perera