Synopsis

All of them ended up here after becoming involved in crime. Drug dealing, assault, murder.

We learn of their fears of having to return to the lives they once left behind.  The documental camera is intimate but respectful, the resulting portraits are full of dignity.

A haunting portrait of stolen childhood, Starless Dreams plunges us into the lives of seven young teenage girls sharing temporary quarters at a rehabilitation and correction center on the outskirts of Tehran.



As the New Year approaches, the girls bond and reveal with disarming and often playful honesty the circumstances and acts that resulted in their incarceration.

One girl killed her father; another robbed a bank; still another was arrested for carrying 651 grams of cocaine. But the girls' sisterly bond brings them to sing and dance with hope and allows them to share their tears.

Outside the prison walls, danger is everywhere, even within their own families. Oskouei, one of Iran's most prominent directors, spent seven years securing access to this all-female facility.

With incredible empathy, Starless Dreams delivers an unforgettable cinematic portrayal of restored innocence and humanity.