A Nation’s Rehearsals for Revolution

Pegah Ahangarani’s documentary, “Rehearsals for a Revolution,” is a scathing critique of Iran’s authoritarian regime and its decades-long history of suppressing dissent. Through her family’s story, Ahangarani sheds light on the human cost of revolution, where idealism can quickly give way to disillusionment, despair, and death.

At first glance, the film may seem like a straightforward chronicle of Iran’s recent history, from the 1979 revolution that brought Ayatollah Khomeini to power. However, “Rehearsals for a Revolution” is more than just a historical account – it’s a deeply personal exploration of what happens when idealism collides with reality.

Ahangarani’s father, Jamshid, was a budding filmmaker who made short movies criticizing the Shah’s regime. He became an early supporter of the Ayatollah’s new government, even fighting on the front lines in the eight-year war with Iraq. As the regime’s brutality became apparent, Jamshid grew disillusioned and lost his best friend, Davoud, to Evin Prison.

This pattern repeats throughout the film as Ahangarani recounts the stories of family members who suffered under Iran’s authoritarian leadership. Her teacher was forced into exile after throwing a party without wearing the mandatory hijab; her uncle Rashid protested against the Ayatollah and was caught up in the 1999 raid on a Tehran dormitory.

The grainy video footage from these protests is harrowing – it shows the brutal suppression of dissent, with Revolutionary Guard Corps beating students and leaving them wounded. The images are familiar to those who have followed Iran’s tumultuous history, but Ahangarani’s film adds a crucial personal dimension to the narrative.

As the daughter of filmmakers herself, Ahangarani was drawn into politics from a young age. She began acting in films as a child and eventually picked up a camera, documenting her family’s experiences and the waves of protests that broke out as she grew older. Her own story culminates in the film’s fourth chapter, which shows the 2009 uprising after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s contested re-election.

The violence is intense – Ahangarani searches for a friend in Tehran’s Revolution Square as police crack down on protestors. The footage is raw and unflinching, revealing what it’s like to experience state repression firsthand.

But “Rehearsals for a Revolution” is not just about the past; it’s also a warning about the present and future. Ahangarani has no answer for when the cycle of protest and repression will finally break, but her film suggests that recognizing the human cost of revolution holds the key to change.

In an interview, Ahangarani notes that “Rehearsals” is not just about Iran – it’s about any country where rebellion can be costly. Her dark historical self-portrait also looks forward to a time when all rehearsed revolutions will finally lead to a real one, and things in Iran change for the better.

The film ends on a hopeful note, but Ahangarani’s story is far from over. She remains in exile, documenting events from afar while her family stays behind. The question is – what comes next? Will the cycle of protest and repression finally break, or will Iran continue to rehearse its revolutions without ever achieving a real one?

The answer, much like the future itself, remains uncertain. However, “Rehearsals for a Revolution” serves as an important reminder that the human cost of revolution must never be forgotten – and that it’s only by confronting this history head-on that we can hope to build a better future.