At the core of a fairy tale, you will often encounter a deeply human truth, which is not exclusively directed at children but adults as well. Besides themes like tolerance and brotherhood, they also tell us about love, longing and companionship, and how being close to a person can make us feel much more alive. In his short animated feature “Autumn Winds, Spring Winds and Two Doves” Iranian director Sadegh Javadi Nikjeh uses the logic of the fairy tale to tell a story about two souls apart, longing for the other one and the willingness to overcome any borders to get to the other person.
“Autumn Winds, Spring Winds and Two Doves” is screening at DOKLeipzig
Based on a children's book by Iranian author Ahamdreza Ahamndi the story is about a boy and a girl who live far apart from each other. Communicating through carrier pigeons, the two of them confess their feelings and dream of a life together, until one day the boy decides that this dream must become reality. He crosses the ocean with the aim to finally be with his loved one, who patiently waits for him, when suddenly a terrible storm arises and his boat is overturned. After many days of waiting and with no sign or word from the boy, the girl grows old with sorrow and grief.
There are many aspects in Nikjeh's feature which make it a rather entertaining story, especially with regard to its visuals and the quite beautiful score by Behnam Moayerian. Through the images and the animation, Nikjeh plays with themes like hope and illusion, when, for example, the girl, who has turned into an old woman, sees the boy next to her in the mirror. However, these moments are brief, but underline how their feelings are linked to one another, how the presence can be both solace and grief, depending on the condition they are in.
At the same time, there is also something frustrating about “Autumn Winds, Spring Winds and Two Doves” which is connected to its narrative formula and the nature of the characters. Although these are quite common within fairy tales, the idea of the male overcoming obstacles, having adventures and being generally active, while the girl sits at home, passively waiting for her “knight in shining armor” seems old-fashioned. While this may not cloud your entertainment with the short, you cannot shake a certain feeling of discomfort when watching it.
“Autumn Winds, Spring Winds and Two Doves” is a technically skillfully-made short feature, whose old-fashioned gender images keep it from reaching true greatness.
