Beautifully filmed with amazing close ups and mid shots

Director Kimia Eyzad Panah puts forward a strong statement in a very subtle way. This short film revolves around the life of an Afghan married couple and their struggle under societal pressure. There has been no preachy moment, no violence, no argument sequence, yet the issue was highlighted to perfection.

The movie begins with an uncle of the male protagonist who has a conversation with the protagonist, expressing his family's desire to have a male child from him and his wife. There have been no argument or debate at this point of time, however it sets the mood regarding which way the film is heading.

We see the couple throughout the film being conscious of each others' presence. The majority of the run-time is occupied by silence, often awkward silence, which sets to the note of the internalized tension between the couple, that has come into existence due to societal pressure. Even the eye contacts between them are very limited. Both of them are seen to be hiding things from each other to maintain the apparent peace in the relationship.

However, the lack of communication is well depicted in these practices of hiding certain actions among the everyday chores of life. The husband throws away the dinner in the waste bin because he had had food at his uncle's place, where he apparently had a conversation about having a male child. However he was not in a position to discuss the conversation or the demand of male child to his wife, so he rather tells her that he'd eaten the dinner the other day and the it was tasty.

The lady is kept under close surveillance and behind the locked doors all day long, which is the major issue of the film. She doesn't have the liberty to go out and buy stuff on her own. She has to depend on her husband for anything she needed. However the rebellious part comes when this lady goes out every day, after his husband leaves and visits different places like apparel stores, bookshops, amusement parks, etc.

The film is beautifully filmed with amazing close ups and mid shots. Very jovial and soulful. Silence along with crisp ambiance sound plays the key role behind setting up the mood for the film. The performances by the protagonists are worth mentioning. They did full justice to the story.

Panchali Kar/Cult Critic/CICFF

Persian-language (primarily Iranian) cinema is acclaimed for poetic allegory, moral depth, and inventive ways of navigating censorship. It often uses non-professional actors, minimalism and symbolism to explore moral dilemmas, social issues, and the human condition under political constraints.

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The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)

The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

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