Shayda

Shayda is Noora Niasari's first feature and almost certainly won't be her last. It tells the frustrating story of an Iranian mother struggling for custody of her daughter in Melbourne, in the face of abuse and ostracism. Zar Amir Ebrahim plays Shayda with such intensity and warmth that it's near impossible to take your eyes off her. She recently won the best actress award at Cannes for Holy Spider and it's not hard to see why. Her chemistry with Selina Zahednia, who plays her daughter, Mona, is fantastic - I even had to check they weren't actually related.

The semi-autobiographical story is presented methodically and with no little style. Niasari eschews the wides, focussing on the interiors, mostly of the women's shelter run by Joyce (Leah Purcell) that Shayda and Mona find themselves in. The harrowing elements are balanced by the sense of community and support that comes from the shelter and the people therein. 

Shayda's husband, Hossein (Osamah Sami) provides the harrowing stuff, whether it's a phone call with an interpreter about a traumatic incident or when he unexpectedly obtains part time access to Mona. There's a tangible feeling of dread when this fucker's about. Shayda slowly begins to find a life beyond the grimness - there may even be a blossoming romance with fellow Iranian ex-pat, Farhad (Mojean Aria) but the gnawing threats of hubby and Iranian social strictures are never far away.

This is a strong debut, but for my tuppence worth, there's a slight problem with the pacing. There are too many long shots that need trimming and one or two scenes that could perhaps have been jettisoned. Overall, though, Shayda is a bleak but ultimately hopeful modern culture skirmish, with realistic performances throughout. Well worth a look and it's a great indicator of things to come from Niasari.

Shayda is showing at Luna and Palace cinemas from Oct 5th. There's also a special Iranian-themed afternoon tea screening at Luna Leederville on Oct 1st.

See also:

This may seem obvious but the ending (not to mention the Iranian language) put me in mind of Asghar Farhadi's excellent A Separation (2011). I haven't seen Ali Abbasi's Holy Spider (2022) yet, but it's on my radar.