Yellow

Yellow is a wonderful work of art exploring important themes. Not only is it an incredible story, it has great acting and beautiful cinematography.

Yellow explores the place of women in society in Afghanistan. Yellow is a touching story of a woman who is about to purchase her first burka as the new restrictions come into place. It highlights the constant restrictions women are faced with in society.

It captured my heart and left me speechless, it's truly an amazing short which probes the injustices the women in Afghanistan are facing and which need to be brought to light. It's a truly important story.

A young woman (Afsaneh Dehrouyeh) walks into a clothing store looking to buy her first full length chadari. The shop is owned by auteur Elham Ahsas and over the next few minutes he helps her to choose the colour she might be allowed to wear, and then we watch her try on the garb that seems to almost empower her - she twirls and twirls and twirls... The movement almost perfectly illustrative of some of the joy and spirit that she is soon to leave behind. Her shoes of colour and sparkle to be forever hidden beneath it's weaves which, in themselves, demonstrate further the uncertainly she is to face under an increasingly male-dominated Taliban rule that will treat her as little better than a chattel from now on! It's simple with hardly any dialogue to clutter up the rather potent imagery that we are left to evaluate for ourselves. Yellow as a colour symbolises so many things around the world - it's well titled, too.

I'm not really sure what the point of this movie was. It was slow paced and there wasn't much dialogue. The situation in Afghanistan is terrible and I acknowledge that it's important for everyone to be aware of what is happening there. I think this film was too symbolic for me but that people who like poetry and movies with lots of visual cues that are open to interpretation will love it. I appreciate the use of color. I thought the woman was really pretty but I didn't understand why she was so unfriendly to the salesman. She was kind of lost in her thoughts and didn't explain herself verbally.

I had the priviledge of watching Yellow at the London Indian Film festival where it was one of the official short film selections for 2023. The film is just one scene set in a bhurqha store but makes us travel through the past and the future of Afghanistan. The past was hopeful for women and the future is bleak. A movie with a moving vital message that showcases the value of freedom for Muslim women in few words and paints a picture of hope and aspirations of millions of women. Short films like this is a call to action to work towards making the future bright for women akin to its title.

The short film just has 2 characters that speaks volumes with their eyes. Visual camera work is a treat. The viewer will be intrigued, confused, moved to tears and angered in just a few minutes.

Master storytelling at its best. ELHAM is a director to watch.

This is a stunning piece of work. There's not a wasted moment. Layered and poignant, it feels like it's a must see as you get to see the impact of a simple transaction on 2 young people in Afghanistan.

The central performances are so subtle. You root for them all. It makes you think of the many thousands of lives these represent in Afghanistan as it adjusts to a new reality.

I saw this at a screening in London in 2023 and it deserves all the plaudits and awards it's getting.

I highly recommend you see it and champion the work of the creative team.

It's a great example of a simple idea executed powerfully and beautifully.