3/5 Stars

Plot: “Jafar Panahi sets out to find a young woman with a golden voice that has been forbidden to sing by Iranian authorities.”–IMDB

Review: Shot with cellphones, Hidden is a short film focusing on a group of three friends on a journey to meet a woman with the voice of an angel. On the drive toward the singer’s village, we get a sense of the barriers keeping the singer from joining an all-female production of a play led by one of the women in the car. Before arriving at the village, we understand Iranian officials and religious tradition are keeping this talented voice from being discovered.

In the rural village, we sit in the same room as the voice. Hidden behind a curtain, her talent fills every inch of the small room. As a westerner, we ache for her and all those who will never experience her talent. With a total runtime of 19 minutes, they leave us to wrestle with what this means.

Sitting with this thought, I cannot help but think Hidden does not fully execute on its thesis. Partially, this is the fault of the format, but it also falls in the lap of a director not making the best use of the sandbox before him. A short film is any film 45 minutes or less in total runtime. Using five more minutes of time, they could have presented us with an opportunity to understand the backstory, political/religious pressures, and/or the importance of an all-female production in Iran. Instead, we are supposed to understand most of this from the start of the film.

As a westerner, baptized in the belief of liberty, equality, and choice, I found it impossible to silence my culture while watching this movie. I so badly want our singer to have the freedom to pursue her own destiny and make her own choices. I wanted this so badly that I failed to consider her wishes. What are her thoughts on religion, tradition, or Iranian politics? I cannot answer this and the film does the same, which is a shame. With a little more thought and nuance, we could have had a fully formed picture of the characters and challenges before them.

Be good to each other,

Nathan

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