The obsession with the order of things is a theme that is probably familiar to most people, since there always seems to be at least one individual in every extended family circle who throws a fit every time something has changed place. Arghavan Heydareslam explores this theme in her debut short, through a rather unusual approach.
Don't Touch Anything screened at Vienna Shorts
Leila, a mother whose husband seems to only appear in the meticulously cleaned and placed pictures in the house, is having some friends over. Her preparation for their visit is impeccable, with the house being squeaky clean, and the cake and beverages being prepared in an almost ritualistic fashion. Alas, one of her friends has brought her child-son with her, and his presence threatens to ruin the delicate balance Leila has worked so hard to maintain. Eventually, when she goes to the kitchen, while her daughter is “entertaining” her gossiping guests with her violin, she finds the boy messing with her stuff, and soon tragedy strikes.
In just 12 minutes, Heydareslam manages to highlight the aforementioned concept in rather thorough fashion, dealing with both its roots and its consequences, although in radically different fashion. The fact that people who fuss with order usually focus on these mundane details in order to forget about other things or their general misery is presented in subtle, mostly implied fashion. On the other hand, that they cannot handle any kind of change that messes with this order is presented with a much more obvious approach, which also provides a shocking focal point that is the main source of the short's uniqueness.
Soroush Hazrati's cinematography is simple, but the way he implements the images shown through the two windows in the larger frames is exquisite, with the window providing a focal point that works both visually and contextually, and also as a means of “measuring” the time in the movie. Marjan Sadeghi as Leila is very convincing in presenting a character that retains a facade of calmness but also lets the frustration she feels become quite evident to the viewer.
“Don't Touch Anything” is an intriguing film that manages to present its comments about a very interesting subject with artistry and through an approach that also ensures its viewer will be entertained.
