Review of Retouch

Retouch (I) (2017)
8/10
morality, in short
9 October 2017
Greetings again from the darkness. We all know the kind of guy who can't keep up with his cigarettes or find a tissue on his own. Instead he passes each burden, no matter how small, onto his wife … in this case, a wife whose life is hectic with her own job and the care of their toddler. In fact, it's as if she is raising two kids – one who is yet too young to speak, and another who is bearded and should be carrying half the load.

Iranian filmmaker Kaveh Mazzaheri's latest short film (18 minutes) shows how, in an instant of crisis, our morality and true feelings can surface. Whether we like what we see, or whether we can justify our actions, are the topics for debate raised by this film.

Maryam (Sonia Samjari) is preparing her young child for the day when the husband/father Siyavash (Mohammad Ziksari) calls out from the other room. He's had a weightlifting accident and his life hangs in the balance. We witness Maryam's moment of truth and how she proceeds to handle the fallout. Ms. Samjari displays true depth of character through minimal dialogue, instead having us interpret her facial expressions. The film offers up the common "what would you do?" approach, but in a most unique and jarring fashion.
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