'PARVANEH': Four Stars (Out of Five)
A 25 minute Swiss short film; which was nominated for an Academy Award, for Best Live Action Short Film, at the upcoming 87th Academy Awards. The short is about an Afghan immigrant, living in Switzerland, who's desperately trying to send home money to her family; but can't due to lack of identification. She finds help from a local Swiss girl; who's nothing like her. The film was written and directed by first time filmmaker Talkhon Hamzavi and stars first time film actresses; Nissa Kashani and Cheryl Graf. I found it to be both interesting and moving (as well).
The movie is set in the Swiss alps; at a transit centre, for refugees seeking asylum. Parvaneh (Kashani) is a young girl, that's just arrived there, from Afghanistan. She first looks for work, and then attempts to send money home (to her family) but can't; because she doesn't have the proper ID. She meets a girl on the streets (Graf), who agrees to help her, and the two form an unlikely friendship.
The film is a pretty involving character study; at first I didn't think I'd find it that interesting, but by the end of the short I was quite moved. The acting is all more than decent and Hamzavi does a great job of bringing the story and characters to life. Like I said, at first I thought it seemed like many other movies, and short films, I've already seen; dealing with similar subject matter, but this one plays out just a little differently. It's emotional and entertaining; a short that's definitely worth the time to watch.
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