Review: ‘The Friend’s House is Here’ brings home how living well is the best resistance
2026 / Dir. Hossein Keshavarz, Maryam Ataei / 2026 Sundance Film Festival
Rating: 4/5
Watch if you like: The Seed of the Sacred Fig or resisting government oppression through interpretive dance Instagram reels.
A portrait of a Tehran we never see in Western media, The Friend’s House is Here depicts the vibrant friendship of roommates Hana (Hana Mana) and Pari (Mahshad Bahram), both part of a Bohemian group of underground artists. Hana posts videos of herself dancing around Tehran on a secret Instagram account while Pari stages experimental theater pieces. Without knowing where they live and the offhand references to a controlling governmental “they,” the group wouldn’t feel out of place in a French New Wave film. Despite the appearance of newfound freedoms like musicians on the streets and the majority of women no longer wearing the hijab—Hana and Pari openly mock a woman who chastises them for not being modest—it’s unfortunately not long before Pari’s current play brings government attention.
The Friend’s House is Here (an answer to Abbas Kiarostami’s classic Where is the Friend’s House?) excels when Hana and Pari are together, with directors Keshavarz and Ataei doing a masterful job of creating a relationship that feels lived-in within a short time. That luster understandably fades in the more anxiety-ridden second half, without dulling the powerful message of the film that in the face of constant oppression, living your life can be the greatest act of resistance.