No. 75 (2023) SHAYDA. Oct. 9th.

 

Film No. 75  (2023)  October 23rd.  6:40 PM  LUNA LEEDERVILLE,  Cine 7, Leederville.

 

"It means Hossein can see Mona, alone, unsupervised" (Shayda internalises the news she has been dreading. The directive that her abusive husband is allowed access to their daughter, the love of her life).

WINNER: Audience Award (Noora Niasari) Sundance Film Festival. Best Film (Noora Niasari) Cinefest Oz, Bussleton, Western Australia.

Film is all about story telling. Stories can be entertaining, Marvel style; big scenes and thunderous soundtracks. They can be big budget retells of popular novels or documentaries depicting exceptional people or events, or they can be small tales of everyday life gone wrong: such is,  SHAYDA, a small, brilliant but gruellingly honest tale with an unsettling subject matter; domestic violence. SHAYDA proves it's a story worth telling.

A faultless performance by Zar Amir Ebrahimi as Shayda fills every scene of writer/director Noora Niasari's debut feature. Zar's brilliance comes from her ability to harness all the compassion we can muster for Shayda as she deals with the impact of a marriage break-up, domestic violence, protecting a child. Shayda faces the threat of losing her 6 year old daughter, Mona (Selina Zahednia) to a troubled husband. The fact that she is being housed in a woman's refuge adds the real backdrop to this sobering story. No, this is not light entertainment. 

The choice Niasari makes with her opening scene is meticulous, brave and impactful. Three people, Shayda, Joyce (Leah Percell) and Mona walk through an international airport precinct. Shayda and Joyce are coaching Mona on how she needs to react to a possible abduction by her father. The importance of that scene becomes a constant as a reminder of the true anxiety Shayda is feeling .

Based on Zar Amir's own experiences in a Brisbane shelter, in the care of her mother, in the mid nineties, SHAYDA is a triumph. And while the subject matter is less than uplifting, there are great moments of joy and relief. Mona and Shayda care and are cared for by others in the shelter. Each has a story. We are taken inside a world most of us have little awareness of. Leah Purcell as Joyce depicts a loyal rock, vulnerable people would always hope might be there for them. Niasari's real life Joyce must hold a special place in her heart. SHAYDA is an excellent film. Yet another important story, well told.  10GUMS.