The Construction of Marginalized Masculinities in Post-Revolutionary Iranian Cinema

Iranian cinema is inherently patriarchal, often marginalizing representations of men who deviate from hegemonic norms. Drawing on R.W. Connell's theoretical framework, this study examines the construction of marginalized masculinities in post-1979 revolutionary Iranian cinema. The primary objective is to describe patterns of marginal masculinity and interpret their relationship with broader social transformations. To achieve this, thirteen films were selected and analyzed using Seymour Chatman's narrative model, with a focus on the dimensions of story, cinematic discourse, and ideology. This approach enabled a detailed exploration of cinematic language and the ideological positioning of films regarding masculinity.

The findings reveal significant shifts in the representation of marginalized masculinity across the decades following the 1979 Revolution. Despite stringent ideological control, post-revolutionary Iranian cinema transforms marginal masculinity, not merely as a reflection of male weakness or exclusion, but into a discursive tool for exposing the contradictions, failures, and crises of hegemonic masculinity. These representations not only mirror ideological shifts in each decade but also subtly function as a cultural and counter-discursive critique of gender power norms, thereby opening possibilities for rethinking male identities.