Caught between the desire to dance and the expectations put on her by family through religious beliefs, a young ballerina named Suraya must decide if she can play the lead in a current production. Consequently, the anxiety in the household is heightened when Suraya's mother learns of her daughter's secret in taking the role, despite it conflicting with their beliefs.
The film's visual and audio presence exists as one of the most enjoyable aspects of the production. Visually, it contains a nice flow, with an emphasis on capturing the elegant movements of the dancers at the studio. Additionally, the scenes between mother and daughter are well framed to ensure their interactions are best captured to reflect the delicate emotional relationship when faced with the idea of Suraya performing. The score also maintains a nice steady presence of relaxing and atmospheric music that fits the film well, existing to compliment each scene. As a result, “Suruya” is a stunningly pretty short to observe, even within the limited locations utilized for the production.
The mother and daughter duo is played with sincerity, giving the impression that they are in fact related. Arguably, these performances may have benefited from a bit more of a deep emotional response in certain sequences, but at sacrificing the idyllic atmosphere, this could have easily have been a misstep. Overall, the actors display an understanding of the script and the dedication to their roles, and the message of the film is apparent in their performances.
The narrative, from a western perspective, proves to be difficult to approach in its depiction of Islamic beliefs. As a result, the mother's approach and fears of her daughter learning to dance becomes hard to understand, even looking at different degrees of religious conservatism from other regions. Furthermore, the film concludes on a statement about the relationship between family and self expression that gives the impression of a profundity. Although it atmospherically and visually builds up well to this moment, the actual meaning behind it is bound to fall short based on the viewer's experience. However, the result is not just confusion, as the empathetic approach to the characters, specifically Suruya, does evoke a want to better understand the meaning behind the final sequence and family dynamic.
Given the subject matter, “Suraya” is not a short that will speak to a wider audience. However, the film is still well executed and performed, allowing it to be enjoyed on a technical level, even if the narrative does not click. Overall, Zulaikha Zakaria proves a talented filmmaker in approaching his subjects with a sincerity and a visual flair that highlights both the beauty of dance and the solidarity created through practicing religion.
