FESTIVAL WINNER UMBRA
The Disappearance of a Lover
In Umbra, a short film from Iran, a lover uses the bathroom after sex. When Saba returns to the bedroom, she finds Sama is gone. She goes for a walk in the night to reconcile her depressed expectations and look for her husband. She sees no one in the deserted streets. The eerie, dark landscape creates an atmosphere of tension. Immediately, she stumbles upon a man in the middle of the road. He snorts at her like a dog and sprints off. The empty streets offer her no respite.
The man returns and follows her, asking her intrusive questions. The man orders her to stop and walks threateningly behind her as the audience wonders if he will hurt her. But, he starts a conversation. “You smell so good,” is the first thing he says. Startled and scared, the woman picks up her ringing phone. It’s Saman, calling to catch her up on his whereabouts. After the call, the stranger asks if the woman’s “owner” has called. She insists she has no owner and walks away.
He follows her until she reaches the entrance to her apartment. He tells her about a female dog killed by his owner. “It’s blood you’re stepping in,” he tells her. The conversation leads into a philosophical discussion about the nature of killing, laced with his flirtatious remarks. We won’t spoil the ending, but it will be abrupt and surprising. Saeed Jafarian directs and will hook you into the story. It stars Masha Alafar as Saba and Banipal Shoomoon as Saman. If you are looking for something unique, PROVOKR sees this 15-minute short as a must-watch.
