Due to post-revolutionary censorship laws, physical contact between unrelated men and women is strictly forbidden on screen. No hand-holding. No hugs. Certainly no kissing.
Because the mouth and body are off-limits, the eyes become the genitals of Iranian cinema. Watch any scene between leads (think Taraneh Alidoosti or Shahab Hosseini). The actors perform a dance of looking away. A glance, a shy retreat, another glance. The tension is not in the connection but in the avoidance of connection. When their eyes finally lock through a rain-streaked car window, it feels like an earthquake. irani sexy clip