The Friend's House is Here

Written and directed by Iranian filmmakers Maryam Ataei and Hossein Keshvarez, The Friend’s House is Here is a poignant exploration of friendship, community, and resolve to fight for creative expression against unyielding oppression.

The film follows close friends and roommates, Hana (Hana Mana), a dancer, and Pari (Mahshad Bahram), an experimental performer and actress. Alongside their wider creative community of underground artists, they defy expectations and authority in pursuit of their dreams. Hana is on the brink of realising hers; already a viral TikTok dancer at home, a rare approved visa now offers her the opportunity to move to France and further her career. And while Pari is genuinely delighted for her, she still struggles with the painful prospect of being left alone in a society that sees her artistic expression as a criminal act.

The story on screen mirrors the perilous reality of Ataei and Keshvarez’s struggles behind the camera. Filming in secrecy, the directors employed a guerrilla-style approach, shooting scenes in one or two takes at most, all to avoid detection and probable arrest; as a result, most scenes are short bursts of intimate character exchanges, often in private places, akin to Pari’s underground gallery space or Hana’s quick-fire social videos. After a nationwide internet lockdown across Iran was imposed, the film had to be smuggled from the country for post-production and to reach international distributors. All of this leads to an authenticity and intimacy that cannot be faked; the spirit of the filmmakers’ dogged determination shines through to tell not just their story but that of countless other artists like them.

Yet the narrative isn’t simply one of constant melancholy. It actually begins surprisingly bright and vibrant, largely driven by Mana’s Hana, filled with the joys of spring about her future, which injects the film with infectious optimism, albeit perhaps slighty blase about the day-to-day risks she faces, but it nonetheless helps the piece start off with a much-needed exuberance. But as the film shifts more towards Pari’s harsher reality, the film begins subtly layering in elements of those oppressions until it fully twists the knife at the film’s biggest plot point, yet all managed without ever going too heavy-handed.

At times, the narrative can feel like it’s taking too much time going through the gears, and while each scene helps amplify greater character connections, some might start to want things to move a little bit swifter. At its core, however, the film’s true strength lies in the once-in-a-lifetime bond between Hana and Pari. Serving as two sides of the same coin, their dynamic feels effortlessly genuine. Thanks to sharply written dialogue and an unshakable chemistry between the two leads, their connection is undeniably real. It is this fierce, reciprocal devotion that sustains them, both creatively and spiritually, against overwhelming odds.

Strangely optimistic and ultimately inspiring in the face of adversity, but never unclear in what it sets out to say, The Friend’s House is Here shows the beauty and power of creation against all odds.

The film screens at BFI Film Festival on October 11 and 13th 2026.