Iran's legendary pop diva Googoosh was silenced over twenty years ago following the 1979 Islamic revolution, when women singers were labeled temptresses and forbidden to perform publicly in the presence of men or to release recordings. For several decades, Googoosh's popularity throughout the Middle East had fueled a frenzy in her fans that surpassed the West's cult of Elvis in its intensity. In his first feature-length film, Iranian-American filmmaker Farhad Zamani provides a thoughtfull and highly entertaining examination of the phenomenon of Googoosh; from her beginings as a little girl compelled to assist her father in his nightclub act, through child stardom, to full-fledged adult career of unprecedented scope, silence and resurgence. Packed with clips from her films as well as concert footage, this documentary presents an analysis of Googoosh's image and cultural significance. Her story and rise to popularity are put in a political and historical context, and a look at the status of women in Iran before and after revolution is a connecting thread.
