SummaryShayda (Zar Amir Ebrahimi), a brave Iranian mother, finds refuge in an Australian women’s shelter with her six-year-old daughter. Over Persian New Year, they take solace in Nowruz rituals and new beginnings, but when her estranged husband re-enters their lives, Shayda’s path to freedom is jeopardized.
Directed By:Noora Niasari
Written By:Noora Niasari
Shayda
Metascore
Generally Favorable
76
User score
Mixed or Average
4.8
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
76
94% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
6% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Mar 21, 2024
100
Both a horror story about domestic abuse and a love-letter to the mother-daughter relationship, Shayda is an award-winning first feature about female agency from writer-director Noora Niasari.
Feb 9, 2023
83
Throughout all of it, Ebrahimi gives a performance that, even in immense isolation, tells a whole story on its own and leaves a lingering impression long after the film itself comes to a close.
Mar 4, 2024
80
In charting that road from disorienting fragility to determined independence, Ebrahimi serves up a memorably nuanced performance.
Oct 28, 2023
80
Niasari carefully and assuredly handles an intense and emotional story with ease and vulnerability. With her work on Shayda, Niasari is a filmmaker whose work we should keep an eye out for.
Mar 14, 2024
75
For the first 90 minutes, the film has a light touch that centers its story and makes us identify with Shayda.
Dec 4, 2023
67
Its portrayal of a childhood under these turbulent circumstances is unnerving, Zahednia delivering one of the most revelatory child performances of recent memory––almost entirely through silently terrified reaction shots.
Dec 1, 2023
50
Sensitive as the film is, it might be most effective to those who haven’t sat through scores of iterations of what has come to be known as the Sundance Film.
User score
Mixed or Average
4.8
25% Positive
1 Rating
1 Rating
50% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
25% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Jun 17, 2024
6
Filme muito sensível, sem ser estridente: sabemos aos poucos sobre o passado de uma mãe violentada, mas o filme segura as pontas apra ir construindo uma imagética interessante do impacto desse abuso na relação dela com a filha e, ainda, de como tudo isso se tensiona quando o pai abusador tenta reconquistar a guarda da pequena. Embora muito bem atuado e om camadas interessantes, fico com uma sensação de vazio: é um filme que está com um pé na pura contemplação e numa tensão que serve apenas para nos passar a sensação de amargor e insegurança da situação. Não há alívio aqui, e o roteiro nem está preocupado em fazer Shayda seguir em frente: é o looping que interessa.
Production Company:
- Dirty Films
- HanWay Films
- Screen Australia
- The 51 Fund
Release Date:Dec 1, 2023
Duration:1 h 57 m
Rating:PG-13
Tagline:Academy Award Best International Feature Film - Official Australian Entry
Awards
Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards
• 1 Win & 9 Nominations
Australian Film Critics Association Awards
• 6 Nominations
Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards
• 2 Wins & 5 Nominations
