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Rehana

An assistant medical professor faces her own #MeToo moment when she discovers that her colleague has assaulted one of her students, in this gripping feminist drama from Bangladesh.

Drama 2021 108 mins Not rated

Director: Abdullah Mohammad Saad

Overview

Abdullah Mohammad Saad’s sophomore feature is a nuanced examination of the moral potholes that exist on the road to justice when someone is a witness to a sexual assault. Rehana is a single mother and an assistant professor at a medical college who encounters a student running away from what has clearly been a sexual assault, carried out by one of her colleagues. Juggling a demanding job with family life, Rehana is already stretched thin, but is determined to bring the accused to justice. In doing so, she attempts to navigate a complicated path, when everyone except her just wants the incident to be forgotten. Saad’s drama is ultimately an involving character study and Azmeri Haqui Badhon invests Rehana with complexity, sharp edges and defiance, as she battles against a patriarchal system.

Originally screened at BFI London Film Festival 2021 as part of the Debate strand.