Fremde Haut is a 2005 German film. It was directed by Angelina Maccarone and stars Jasmin Tabatabai, Anneke Kim Sarnau, and Navíd Akhavan. Its English title is Unveiled. Background Writers Maccarone and Judith Kaufmann conceived the idea for the film in 1998. In 2002, Maccarone sent a copy of the script to actress Tabatabai, who reviewed it. As an Iranian, Tabatabai worked with Maccarone and Kaufmann to rewrite the story to be more realistic. For example, the main character became "more subtle, not as outspoken." Maccarone describes her aspirations and ideas for the film in an interview with AfterEllen.com. One of the issues she wished to contradict was the idea of humanity being split into 'good' and 'evil.' She states, "I believe the world, the human, is more complex than that. The simple solutions that are suggested by polarities are dangerous. Thinking like "we are good, they are evil" has existed for a long time and justified a lot of horrible things people do to each other." Maccarone has also described her desire to use the film to act as a commentary on the discrimination that queer people face. Picturing how homosexuals often have to defend their identities in ways that heterosexuals do not, the film acts as an insight in how majorities define what is "normal." Plot The translator Fariba Tabrizi (29, played by Jasmin Tabatabai) is at risk of the death penalty in her own country, Iran, after the vice squad discovers she is homosexual. With support from a relative, Fariba flees to Germany. When she is in the refugee detention centre at Frankfurt Airport her application for asylum is rejected. She lives hour by hour with the fear of being deported. Her poor prospects are improved by the suicide of a fellow-inmate from Iran as she assumes his identity and, as Siamak Mustafai, and using his temporary permit of sojourn, is re-located to Swabia. Fariba knows Germany only from literature and as a translator which leave her unprepared for the small town of Sielmingen compared to a large city like Teheran. Also, her security is threatened as, in the refugee home, she is obliged to uphold her male disguise in cramped quarters while she is not permitted to leave the Regional District of Esslingen. The only way to escape is by means of forged documents for which she needs money. With help from her roommate, she comes