Analysis of the Conflict of Values ​​in the Film "Leila's Brothers": From Narrative Structure to Audience Reception

Document Type : .

Authors

1 PhD student in sociology at the Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Isfahan

2 Associate Professor, Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Isfahan

10.30465/ismc.2026.54054.3027
Abstract
This study examines Leila’s Brothers as a cinematic depiction of structural crises within contemporary Iranian society, emphasizing the clash between traditional frameworks and emerging generational values. Grounded in Inglehart's Value Transition Theory and reception theory, the research argues that the meaning of a film emerges through the interaction between its structural elements and the viewer’s interpretation. Employing narrative analysis based on Selby and Cowdery’s method, the study involved in-depth interviews with selected participants. Findings indicate that the film, through its dense and realistic mise-en-scène, vividly portrays economic hardship and the erosion of social capital as the narrative’s driving forces. The notion of crisis extends beyond economics to encompass self-centered idealism and the absence of collective, goal-oriented action, producing social inertia and structural stagnation. This passivity mirrors the breakdown of institutional authority embedded in the film’s hypertextual discourse, articulated through symbolism, cinematic expression, and dialogue. Audience responses, particularly from viewers, reinforce this interpretation. From their perspective, the film conveys a message of unforeseen transformation—its unconventional ending, marked by the father’s death coinciding with the children’s fleeting joy, replaces traditional resolution with symbolic renewal, reflecting both despair and the possibility of change.

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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 29 June 2026

  • Receive Date 24 January 2026
  • Revise Date 28 June 2026
  • Accept Date 29 June 2026
  • Publish Date 29 June 2026