DIRECTOR: NOORA NIASARI
STARRING: ZAR AMIR EBRAHIMI, LEAH PURCELL, SELINA ZAHEDNIA, MOJEAN ARIA, OSAMAH SAMI
RUNNING TIME: 1 HR 57 MINUTES
A young Iranian mother and her six year old daughter find refuge in an Australian women's shelter during the two weeks of the Iranian New Year.
STARRING: ZAR AMIR EBRAHIMI, LEAH PURCELL, SELINA ZAHEDNIA, MOJEAN ARIA, OSAMAH SAMI
RUNNING TIME: 1 HR 57 MINUTES
A young Iranian mother and her six year old daughter find refuge in an Australian women's shelter during the two weeks of the Iranian New Year.
FILM REVIEW:
(This review contains spoilers.)
“This is your destiny and you cannot change it.”
Shayda is the International Feature submission for Australia. The film is about Shayda, a wife and mother who has to come to Australia from Iran with her husband, Hossein, and daughter, Mona. Hossein is studying at the university on a scholarship to become a doctor. When Hossein’s possessiveness spills over into physical violence, Shayda and Mona flee their home and take refuge at a women’s shelter.
Shayda though is in a tricky situation as she begins the legal custody battle against her husband. She knows her husband will never grant her a divorce. She also knows that he can abduct Mona at anytime and flee back to Iran and she can’t do anything about it. As the Australian courts grant her abusive husband visitation rights once a week on Saturdays, her entire world comes crashing down as she's forced to face Hossein face to face.
Shayda lays bare the stress, frustration, and pain of being a woman trying to navigate multiple systems that seem to favour men over women. The film doesn’t focus on the gruesome events that led to Shayda and Mona fleeing to the shelter, but it focuses on the aftermath. And sadly, we see the ways in which law enforcement and the legal system are unequipped to support women in dangerous situations.
The film is a truly stunning portrayal of innocence, love and community, and finding them all at your worst in the places you’d least expect. Shayda is a love letter to the strength, determination and resilience of women and mothers who are faced with making the toughest decision in their life. It's a stunning depiction of the lifelong struggle for freedom, for safety, for a new start.
But if fear follows you, flee this place. Shayda is an ode to every single person who has had to change their life in an instant in order to be safe.
REVIEW: A-
(This review contains spoilers.)
“This is your destiny and you cannot change it.”
Shayda is the International Feature submission for Australia. The film is about Shayda, a wife and mother who has to come to Australia from Iran with her husband, Hossein, and daughter, Mona. Hossein is studying at the university on a scholarship to become a doctor. When Hossein’s possessiveness spills over into physical violence, Shayda and Mona flee their home and take refuge at a women’s shelter.
Shayda though is in a tricky situation as she begins the legal custody battle against her husband. She knows her husband will never grant her a divorce. She also knows that he can abduct Mona at anytime and flee back to Iran and she can’t do anything about it. As the Australian courts grant her abusive husband visitation rights once a week on Saturdays, her entire world comes crashing down as she's forced to face Hossein face to face.
Shayda lays bare the stress, frustration, and pain of being a woman trying to navigate multiple systems that seem to favour men over women. The film doesn’t focus on the gruesome events that led to Shayda and Mona fleeing to the shelter, but it focuses on the aftermath. And sadly, we see the ways in which law enforcement and the legal system are unequipped to support women in dangerous situations.
The film is a truly stunning portrayal of innocence, love and community, and finding them all at your worst in the places you’d least expect. Shayda is a love letter to the strength, determination and resilience of women and mothers who are faced with making the toughest decision in their life. It's a stunning depiction of the lifelong struggle for freedom, for safety, for a new start.
But if fear follows you, flee this place. Shayda is an ode to every single person who has had to change their life in an instant in order to be safe.
REVIEW: A-
