Dornaz Hajiha in her directorial debut LIKE A FISH ON THE MOON has crafted a masterful intense drama, putting a family on a journey through hell when their 4 year-old child develops selective mutism.
World-Premiered in the Proxima Competition section of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF), LIKE A FISH ON THE MOON has its North American premiere in the Panorama program section of the 41st Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF).
The debut feature by Dornaz Hajiha tells an empathetic tale of a family, who cracks under the stress of their young son developing mutism.
Haleh is a very protective mother, whom spoil her 4 years – old boy Ilya. When the boy stops talking, Haleh and her husband Amir start searching for the reason and the remedy for his mutism. The more they try to talk to the boy or consults experts, the worst things are becoming.
The cast includes Sepidar Tari (HALEH, the mother), Shahdiyar Shakiba (AMIR, the father) and Ali Ahmadi (ILYA, the son). TARI and SHAKIBA in their 1st appearance had joined Dornaz Hajiha’s acclaimed short film MARZIYE (2017) as a married couple who went to a wake.
Sepidar Tari, Italian-based Iranian actress, stars as HALEH, a caring, supportive and mostly protective mother whose excessive attention and love has spoiled Ilya. Sepidar Tari gives a believable, at some point hilarious performance. The portrayal of a supportive mother, sometimes protective and obsessive, is strongly reflected in her performance.
AMIR is played by architect Shahdiyar Shakiba, the lead in Hajiha’s acclaimed MARZIYE. Director Dornaz Hajiha shares “Shahdiar, who plays the role of the husband, is not even an actor. He is an architect. While I was looking for the male character for my short, Marziye , I saw him in a café and instantly I knew he was the right choice.”
Ali Ahmadi (as ILYA) gives a superb performance as the Shakibas’ 4-year-old son, who has developed mutism.
The story, scripted by the LFS graduate Dornaz Hajiha, develops smoothly, so perfectly engineered that we don’t seem to notice how deeply we’re trapped in the intense drama of a family struggling with the child’s selective mutism. Through the engaging storyline, we become ILYA, we become AMIR, we become HALEH, and change roles in the triangle of mother-son-father complicated relationships. The characters have been created, and coached perfectly.
Many scenes in LIKE A FISH ON THE MOON feature rounds of ping-pong dialogues between the couple, which is an undeniable proof for Dornaz Hajiha’s ability to craft a strong screenplay.
There are quite a few scenes in the car through which we feel suffocated and drowned. Director Dornaz Hajiha explains, “I wanted to show them in between places to increase the sense of isolation I was looking for. It also shows that they never get settled in any place. They are just trying to get from one place to another, and having them in the car creates this feeling perfectly.”
In the breathless marathon to find the reason and cure for Ilya’s selective mutism, the situation gets more complicated and tenses-up scene by scene. The director’s choice of shot framing shows more close-ups and extreme close-ups, giving us a feeling of suffocation. The stunning cinematography is created by Alireza Barazande.
LIKE A FISH ON THE MOON is written, directed by DORNAZ HAJIHA, produced by EHSAN RASOULOF, distributed by ASIAN SHADOWS.
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