I Couldn't Be Indifferent: Elahe Esmaili On Her Short "The Doll"
Director/Writer/Producer Elahe Esmaili is currently a MA Student at National Film and Television School (NFTS) and is a BA alumna from Tehran University of Art where since 2016, was ranked 1st among more than 150,000 participants in Iranian Art Konkur (national university entrance exam). She is also a member of Iran's National Elites Foundation. Her latest short film, The Doll, focuses on a family and a community whose perspectives differ regarding a 14 year old’s marriage.
After consulting with his relatives, a 35-year-old father consents to the marriage of his 14-year-old daughter. With individuals having different perspectives, his family grapples with the decision.
This documentary short received its World Premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival 2021 and it also recently screened at the Atlanta Film Festival 2021. We had the pleasure of chatting with Elahe about the film, its origins, creating the aesthetics, and much much more!
What drew you to the world of child marriage as a basis for a film?
I would say mainly my own life experience. I have seen loads of young girls getting married at very young ages. They all had to struggle with multiple issues in their life only because they made this life-changing decision when they weren’t mature enough to do it. The upsetting fact is that it still happens a lot, and I couldn’t be indifferent. So when I heard the story, I didn’t drop it.
How did you hear about Asal’s story?
I see an underage marriage for female members of my extended family and friends every one or two years. I heard about Asal through one of my relatives, and I found it an interesting case to explore. I started doing research, and I realized this story gives me the space to explore the issue from different aspects.
Was it difficult to get the family to agree to telling their story?
Yes, it was tough to convince them to tell their personal story. But fortunately, I could convince them that this film wouldn’t cause any harm to their routine life, but it could make a change in the society and could help some similar girls and families in similar situations.
What was the most surprising thing you learned through the making of the film?
I started this film with a few questions and ended up with deeper questions. I learned a lot in between. The most surprising thing was to trust myself as a filmmaker, as a human being. I tried to keep the moments I was impressed by while filming, and I found the audiences so touched by those moments. This is my first film and before that, I wasn’t sure that I could trust my own instincts as a filmmaker this much.
Talk a bit about your approach to telling this story visually and how you nailed down the film’s aesthetics.
From the very beginning in the research phase, I realized I have to film these people individually, so I decided to do it as an interview-based documentary and only get close to the main character with some more scenes. I didn’t need to get closer to the rest of them, I got what I needed from them with only interviews. More than this would’ve been confusing and redundant, I would say. On the other hand, it was an independent, very low budget film, and I tried to do my best due to all the limitations. When I felt I’ve got enough rushes to tell the story properly, I stopped filming and started to cutting it together.
In editing, the most important things for me were the moments, the twists of the story and the rhythm. Moreover, I didn’t want to overtalk; I thought I count on the audiences, as I think documentary audiences are smart, and they can link the dots and enjoy it. Also, it was really important for me to make audiences feel connected to the story, realize it, and then think about it. I didn’t want to be sentimental and just provoke their emotions. I do appreciate their emotions, as well as their thoughts after the film ends.
What films or filmmakers have inspired you, your style, or your approach to telling a story?
I adore a wide variety of filmmakers, maybe you can’t find their effects in this film directly, but I was so inspired by them generally. Like Ken Loach, Ebrahim Golestan, Asghar Farhadi, Yorgos Lanthimos, Wong Kar Wai, Wim Wenders, and... I could go on and on!
What do you hope audiences take away from the film?
I really enjoy talking to them after watching the film. So far, I found them touched by the story and the innocent girl, and at the same time, they are surprised with the complexity of the situation and this realization that it’s not a simple 0-and-1 situation as it looks generally.
Do you have any future projects in the works that you can share with us?
I’m doing a MA course in directing now. I’m still a film student keen to learn more and more. I’m working on my projects at school which are all short films. The subjects again would be around women’s and children’s issues.
What do you think? We want to know. Share your thoughts and feelings in the comments section below, and as always, remember to viddy well!