‘In the Shadow of the Cypress’ is a short film with no dialogue, made in Iran and released in 2023. The themes of this short yet beautiful animation are tied into war, drama, mental illnesses, and how to cope with them. ‘In the Shadows of the Cypress‘ was written and directed by two people and starred only one other person, Hossein Molayemi, Shirin Sohani, and Zahra Moosavi. It is an emotional journey with many life lessons woven in through subtle and entertaining imagery.
In the Shadow of the Cypress
For more details, ‘In the Shadow of the Cypress‘ is about a captain who has since retired, likely due to illness, age, and desire to raise his daughter. The two characters are nameless, and the setting is a little lonely house on the beach, very close to the sea. He wishes to connect with his daughter in ways he couldn’t in the past, likely due to him being a Captain in the war. Their life together is faced with isolation, the father’s struggle against his mind, and the daughter struggling to help him. That is, until one day, a whale is beached near their home. The addition of this new being adds something new to their lives.
‘In the Shadow of the Cypress’ not only has no dialogue but also uses a minimalist style. It has won twenty-five awards out of the twenty-six times it was nominated. These awards were given by film festivals ranging from native to international, Spark Animation, Tokyo Anime Award, etc. Nine other articles can be found with their IMDB reviews on the beautiful piece, detailing how ‘In the Shadow of the Cypress‘ was a labor of love. This isn’t just because the two creators are married but also because the entire film is 2D-animated.
Survival and Healing
The survival that takes place in the Shadows of the Cypress is when the two are trying to make do with their home. Residing on a lonely beach, the house does not have all the modern amenities that other houses do, and with no stores nearby, they live traditionally. Aside from this, the whale that appears also acts as a visual representation of survival. The daughter splashes water on it while the father can’t help but be reminded of the boat he once worked on due to the whale’s size. He is at one point bashing his head against an already cracked mirror, then smoking and holding his head in discomfort.
The locations and settings of ‘In the Shadow of the Cypress‘ are limited, and the lack of dialogue forces the viewers to view all the visible scenes more deeply. Instead of verbally speaking about his thoughts or expressing his feelings with words, the viewers have scenes of him hurting himself. There are moments when the daughter is crying, and then a metaphorical scene of a fish on the ground, surrounded by broken glass and dried-up water. As for when the whale arrives, that’s when the animation begins to show more metaphorical and illogical visuals. This is, of course, to express the feelings of the characters without words.
Hossein Molayemi has confirmed in a film festival interview that ‘In the Shadow of the Cypress’ is heavily inspired by the creators’ life experiences. The father character’s PTSD and veteran background were inspired by Sohani’s father, who was a war veteran as well. The emotional aspect of the two characters and their difficulty in bonding are based on Molayemi’s relationship with his father. The duo also received inspiration and writing material from the many Iran and Iraq soldiers who resided where they lived. The duo wanted to bring attention to the harsh realities of life of Iranian veterans with PTSD.
Creating Films in Iran
The plot of healing and coping in the film is similar to being an artist in Iran. Due to certain unfortunate situations in Iran, it has become a difficult environment, especially for Molayemi, Sohani, and their independent project. They had a low budget, a shortage of artists, and many other issues with attempting to create animation in Iran. The country has had difficult economic conditions and social issues, leading to few paths for artists. All of those dreadful, negative, and hopeless emotions are exactly what they wished to express in the Shadow of the Cypress.
There are many articles and news reports online that discuss the difficulties of creating art and simply having places of art in Iran. Theaters and places to publish them have been closed down, and there have been many protests. This is another reason why ‘In the Shadow of the Cypress‘ is such a blessing to be available to us. It’s also why ‘In the Shadow of the Cypress‘ was shown at so many Film Festivals, yet there are so few clips or trailers of it online. There is news that the Islamic Republic has been not only targeting artists but also stopping their activity through physical and online surveillance.
Final Thoughts
‘In the Shadow of the Cypress’ is a 2D animated short film about the emotional story between a father and his daughter. It displays visual representations of survival through the use of their isolated life and the whale that triggers many emotions. There are no verbal words, only visual interpretations and creative animations. The inspiration came from the life experiences of the creators and the Iranian soldiers around them. Since it was created in a country strongly against artists, the sites with the entire film are limited, but it can be found and watched on IMDb.
