Some rites of passage are more brutal than others. Especially when they’re archaic practices dictated by cultural and religious norms.
Left alone, a girl blossoms to maturity based on their own biological clock. But when femininity, modesty and beauty are defined by man, it results in a violation of a person’s freedom and life.
The true horror is that while this short film is a work of fiction, it’s based on the crude reality for girls in Africa and the Middle East.
Female genital mutilation is an ugly word, but how it sounds is nothing compared to experiencing the harrowing procedure. It’s even harder to process, knowing that this tradition has no positive health benefits for girls and women.
Years on, this young woman still carries memories of that trauma.
It may be just a cut, but the scars run deeper than anyone can imagine.
Watch ‘Bitter Tears’ by Rasoul Pourmoradi (Iran) on Viddsee: