In Noora Niasari's deeply heartfelt drama “Shayda,” an Iranian mother finds refuge in culture and community as she seeks freedom from an abusive marriage. The film takes place during Nowruz, a regenerative Persian holiday set around the spring equinox. But in Australia, where Shayda (Tsar Amir Ebrahimi) and her young daughter Mona (Selina Zahednia) are temporarily residing in a women's shelter, Nowruz falls in autumn. Like a deciduous tree, Shayda can only access renewal by shedding the life she once knew.
In his first narrative feature, Niasari, who based the story in part on his own experiences, demonstrates an astonishing control of pacing and mood. While other films about abuse insist on the stakes of violence, “Shayda” conveys isolation or danger in small visual cues: silhouetted images, wordless long takes, strategically placed jump cuts. And while the film shows that Shayda's ex, Hossein (Osamah Sami), poses a visceral threat, Niasari places the heart of the film in the reinforced connections (with the estate and other women at the shelter) that allow the duo's survival. .
At every turn, our protagonist faces pressure to return to Hossein, both due to widespread disdain in the Iranian diaspora community and the numerous legal impediments to her independence. As Shayda weathers these storms, the film around her evolves into an understated chronicle of female conviction. When all else fails, Shayda turns to Persian music and dance, where she, at Mona's side, takes refuge from doubt in exuberant movement.
The thing
Rated PG-13 for stories of domestic abuse. Duration: 1 hour 57 minutes.
