Gorgeously shot and brutally honest-this is the paradox of Bemani, a stunningly tragic portrait of the desperation of isolated young women. Three stories set in a town on the Iraqi border build to a grim fairy tale. A weaver meets a handsome border guard and weaves him a rug; they are seen together, and soon she is no more. A secret medical student is found out by her father and imprisoned in his basement. Bemani, daughter of a poor tenant, is given to her elderly landlord in marriage. She literally can't wait till he dies. The rate of attempted suicides among women and girls is stretching the local hospital's resources. In this rural life, all that should be beautiful is oppressive: the rich colors of yarns are the color of blood; beautifully prepared food tastes of a slave's hand; nature's dry expanses and familiar brooks mean there is nowhere to hide. A goat has a better life than a woman, until both have served their purpose.

Bemani is repeated on Friday, January 17.