In Noora Niasari’s deeply felt drama “Shayda,” an Iranian mother finds sanctuary in culture and community while seeking liberation from an abusive marriage. The film unfolds during Nowruz, a regenerative Persian holiday set on the spring equinox. But in Australia, where Shayda (Zar Amir Ebrahimi) and her young daughter Mona (Selina Zahednia) are temporarily residing in a women’s shelter, Nowruz falls in autumn. Like a deciduous tree, Shayda can only access renewal by shedding the life she once knew.
In her first narrative feature, Niasari, who based the story in part on her own experiences, demonstrates an astounding control of pacing and mood. Where other films about abuse insist on stakes through violence, “Shayda” conveys isolation or danger in small visual cues: images in silhouette, wordless long takes, strategically-placed jump cuts. And while the film shows that Shayda’s ex, Hossein (Osamah Sami), poses a visceral threat, Niasari locates the heart of the film in the reinforced connections — to heritage and other women in the shelter — that enable the duo’s survival.
Throughout, our protagonist faces pressure to return to Hossein, both from pervasive scorn in the Iranian diaspora community and from the many legal impediments to her independence. As Shayda weathers these storms, the film surrounding her evolves into an understated chronicle of female conviction. When all else fails, Shayda turns to Persian music and dance, where, side by side with Mona, she takes refuge from doubt in exuberant movement.
Shayda
Rated PG-13 for stories of domestic abuse. Running time: 1 hour 57 minutes.