The Story of Moragheb (Falling House): A Film That Won the Venice Film Festival Best Actress Award
Who Is Laleh Marzban?
Laleh Marzban has emerged as one of the most prominent Iranian actresses of her generation.
Her performance in Moragheb demonstrates why Iranian cinema continues to attract international attention for its ability to tell socially complex stories through intimate family dramas.
In Falling House, Marzban plays Ensieh, a young woman whose desire to leave Iran and pursue a future as a model becomes one of the central sources of conflict inside the family.
Her character is not simply trying to escape a house.
She is trying to escape a system of control.
That makes Ensieh’s story essential to understanding the film.
Ensieh is Rashid’s eldest daughter.
She has a plan for her future.
She wants to leave Iran and travel to Turkey to work as a model.
She does not tell her father.
When Rashid discovers her plans, his reaction is extreme.
Rather than treating his daughter’s decision as an expression of independence, he sees it as a threat to his authority.
This conflict becomes increasingly severe as the family simultaneously faces the destruction of its home.
Laleh Marzban’s performance therefore operates at the center of two parallel conflicts.
The first is between a daughter and her father.
The second is between an individual family and a larger social and economic system.
September 13, 2026 | 9:20 pm
