Review

Avazeh Shahnavaz’s THE UNTOUCHABLE, Hot Docs ​Lindalee Tracey Award winner, calls for social justice in modern Iran

THE UNTOUCHABLE by Iranian Canadian Avazeh Shahnavaz walks us into the life of a young woman, YASSI, physically-abused and emotionally-damaged, who seeks justice for a deep-cut open wound caused by a society, its ethos, and its inhabitants.

THE UNTOUCHABLE was premiered at the Short Forum of the 40th Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) and went on to screen at the Panorama program section of the 20th Tirana International Film Festival (TIFF), accredited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and the European Film Academy (EFA) as a qualifying festival for short film categories.

Avazeh Shahnavaz’s THE UNTOUCHABLE has been selected to go on screen in the official program section of the BIFA/BAFTA Qualifying Bolton International Film Festival, which celebrates its sixth edition from Wednesday 5th October – Sunday 9th October.

A young woman named Yassi stands in the middle of a highway desperately screaming. For over an hour she’s been looking for someone, jumping in front of cars and holding up traffic. Sergeant Jabbari arrives on the scene to arrest her, yet ironically, the Sharia law has placed him in a helpless position with many witnesses holding up Smartphones, recording a situation that only gets worse.

Avazeh Shahnavaz in her 2nd short film brings to life moments she remembers of a woman in turmoil while she was 16 and embroiders it with touching details. she shares, “When I was 16, on the way back from high school in my father’s car, I saw a lady, shouting at specific cars, going back to sidewalk.”

The social norms in Iranian society, position of women and how they’re treated by the society and its inhabitants is reflected throughout Shahnavaz’s short film. THE UNTOUCHABLE also tries to bring focus to hijab issues in Iranian society and how a police officer whose duty is to maintain security causes a situation expand into chaos and go out of control.

Nika Shahbazzadeh stars as YASSI, a young woman whose face reveals pain and damage. She is searching for a man with a white SUV, who made her suffer a deep-cut emotional pain. Through her lines with a female SUV driver we find that she’s been sexually shared  with many by a man who she calls “a pimp”.

We believe Nika Shahbazzadeh’s portrayal of YASSI as an emotionally-broken person experiencing psychological/physical abuse. Her performance in some scenes is eye-catching.

The police officer (played believably by Payam Ahmadinia) sees YASSI as a drug addict, a good bait to take into custody. The tragic death of the 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in Iran, beaten to death by the morality police while she was in custody, which has raised a global uproar and rage, can tell how horrifying this situation can be for a woman in Iran.

The police, as the situation suggests, is the main cause for the chaotic situation, and the people surrounding the scene are much interested in recording the scene on their cell phones, probably to share it on social media, than helping the helpless Yassi, who takes a 5 or 6-year-old child out of a white SUV as a hostage, thinking she’s saving her out of a pimp’s hands.

Shahnavaz’s social drama shows how a society pushes a broken woman, one who needs help, to feel insecure in the skin of the society and to regard herself as a victim of sexual abuse with each encounter with man.

Avazeh Shahnavaz, the Hot Docs ​Lindalee Tracey Award winner, uses an observational, documentary-style filmmaking that makes the tragic situation feel so real. The stunning cinematography was created by Salar Ardestani.

The impeccable film editing lets the audience follow the sad story of YASSI without distraction, and welcomes us into exploring the several of many reasons for her broken soul.

THE UNTOUCHABLE is written, directed by AVAZEH SHAHNAVAZ, produced by SERVAT AJAMI, FARID EBRAHIMI, AVAZEH SHAHNAVAZ and distributed by LES FILMS DU 3 MARS.

Reviewed by Deed News

Deed News website:
http://www.deed.news/

Deed News publication on Google News:
http://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMPPbsQswgPfIAw/

Deed News on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/DeedNews

Deed News on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/DeedNewsAgency

Deed News company page on LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/company/deed-news

Deed News on Instagram:
http://instagram.com/deed.news

Deed News channel on Vimeo:
http://vimeo.com/channels/filmfestivalnews/

Deed News channel on YouTube:
http://youtube.com/channel/UCkH5hQuG-iiIqNw5EFxRy_A

 

This post was last modified on October 7, 2022 12:41 pm

Deed News

Deed News (DN) is a digital newspaper and website, which focuses on the latest news from film festivals. Deed News (DN) aims to deliver high quality news content from film festivals to a global audience who seek the most up-to-date, comprehensive, precise and authentic news from film festivals, festivals lineup, official selections and award winners.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked*

Share
Published by
Deed News
104 Views

Recent Posts

The 65th edition of DOK Leipzig has begun

DOK Leipzig opened on Monday, 17 October, at the CineStar with the German premiere of the long animated film "No Dogs or Italians Allowed" by Alain Ughetto.

October 17, 2022

K-LIDOSCOPI reveals 2022 winners

K-LIDOSCOPI Short Film Festival (Festival de Cortometrajes K-LIDOSCOPI) has unveiled the full list of winners for 2022 festival.

October 17, 2022

VIFF closes 41st annual edition and announces award winners

VIFF (Vancouver International Film Festival) has announced the full list of award winners, including juried and audience awards, for 2022 festival.

October 17, 2022

Jean Rouch International Film Festival

Jean Rouch International Film Festival is one of the most important documentary film events, in Europe, in the field of social sciences.

October 17, 2022

RiverRun International Film Festival

RiverRun International Film Festival is an annual Oscar-qualifying film festival held each spring in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

October 17, 2022

Neighbour Abdi, Cherries and Finn’s Heel triumph at short film weekend Film Fest Gent 2022

The winners of the short film competitions at Film Fest Gent 2022 were revealed during a Short Film Award Ceremony at the Film Fest Café.

October 16, 2022

Iris Prize winners announced – the ‘Oscars’ of the LGBTQ+ short film world

Tarneit, directed by John Sheedy (Australia), has been announced the winner of the Iris Prize 2022, Cardiff's International LGBTQ+ Short Film Prize, supported by The Michael Bishop Foundation.

October 16, 2022

SEDICICORTO announces 2022 winners

Sedicicorto Forli Film Festival (Festival del Cinema A Forli) has announced the complete list of award winners for 2022 festival.

October 16, 2022

Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival

Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival (HRFF) is an LGBT film festival held annually in Honolulu (Hawaii, USA).

October 16, 2022