Bani-Etemad’s fourth narrative feature, Nargess brought her renown with its enthralling story of a young working-class woman who captivates a lonely thief. Estranged from his family, the criminal turns to his accomplice and sometime lover for her assistance in securing Nargess’ hand in marriage. The older woman agrees, on the condition that he remain her partner in crime and that they rekindle their relationship. Bani-Etemad uses the fractured love triangle as a poetic compass to chart the map of a nation torn between traditional social and gender roles and driven by a raw cupidity for wealth at any cost.