Understanding The Significance Of A Decision: Sonia K. Hadad On Her Short "Exam"
Director Sonia K. Hadad is an Iranian writer and director who moved to the U.S. in 2013 for her education, which is where she began making short films, producing for the film industry, and also editing TV series and shorts. Writing short stories for youth magazines is what led Sonia to her main interest of writing for films. Her latest short film, Exam, shares a story of a young woman who needs to deliver cocaine to a client, only to gravely endanger herself in the process.
A teenage girl reluctantly agrees to deliver a pack of cocaine on the day of an important test. A series of unforeseen events threatens to derail more than her GPA.
This phenomenal short has already won 10 Awards, including the Grand Jury Prize for Live Action Short at AFI Fest 2019 and the Special Jury Award for Acting at Sundance Film Festival 2020. We had the pleasure of chatting with Sonia about her film, its origins, how to direct a great vomit scene, and much much more.
Where did the concept for Exam originate?
The story is the combination of the experiences I had at high school and an actual incident I had heard from one of my friends. I mixed them to write the script. For me, going to school was all about restrictions and stress. In the movie, the school’s atmosphere was a symbol of a cultural crash, in which you could see the social failures’ signs in the movie! I always wanted to illustrate the experiences I had faced. When I came across this real story about drug dealing at high school, I decided to recreate the situation and the actual characters.
Your characters feel very well-defined and real. What’s your process for developing fully rounded characters?
The characters in this script are a reflection of the real characters in my real world. I just recreated them. I had all the behavioral details of the characters in my mind, so the world that the characters make is very similar to the real world I had experienced. When I am writing the scenes, I go into detail about the characters' actions and deeds. I review states/conditions, and the visualizations to prove the credibility of the moments.
How did you find your incredible leading performer?
About three years ago, I saw Sadaf Asgari in a feature movie called Disappearance, and I was amazed by her brilliant performance in that movie. When I finished Exam’s script, I was looking for a good actress for this tough role, and suddenly my co-writer (Farnoosh Samadi) suggested Sadaf and reminded me of her role in Disappearance. I watched the movie again, and it made me sure that she was the actress I wanted.
Can you walk me through the shoot for the vomiting scene? What kind of guidance did you give to Sadaf to get such a visceral performance?
I explained to Sadaf the details of that physical state when someone is suffocating. Additionally, I described the actions that are happening at that moment. Step by step, I put the actions in order for her from inside the bathroom and behind the closed door until she fell to the ground. I described to her how a human body feels at the moment of suffocation. Moreover, we talked about the details of the moment of struggling. I sent her two or three selected death scenes from different movies/TV series to review. Fortunately, She was able to play that scene very well, which shows her high intelligence and exceptional ability to act.
What drew you to the visual arts? How did you get into directing?
Since I was a child, I have been fascinated by my surroundings: sound, people, feelings, and the interaction of all these elements. Curiosity has always been an integral part of my life. It makes me pay attention to the details of people’s lives and their environment. Ever since, I have created stories and wrote short stories out of simple incidents concerning the daily struggles of real people. I choose to study dramatic arts and playwriting for my B.A to boost my writing techniques and make me familiar with dramatic literature. After graduating from college, I focused on scriptwriting and attending some filmmaking workshops. I choose film writing and directing as I needed an art platform to combine words and images. I realized that cinema is the tool to fulfill my artistic goals because it combines visual arts and sound to form a more accurate and complete story. So I chose this career path as I enjoy it a lot.
What films or filmmakers have inspired you, your style, or your approach to telling a story?
Filmmakers like: Lars Von Trier, Darren Aronofsky, Maya Deren, and Andrei Tarkovsky. Additionally, I should mention that film directors do not just inspire my style in writing and directing. Some theatre writers and directors like Harold Pinter, Samuel Becket, and Katie Mitchell have affected my artistic style and my approach to telling a story.
What do you hope audiences take away from the film?
I like the viewer to wholeheartedly associate him/herself with the moments and character's experiences. I want the viewer to understand that a person's decision can have a significant impact on the future and possible consequences, and any accident at any moment can fundamentally change a person's life.
Do you have any future project in the works that you can share with us?
These days, I am working on my next short film to shoot it in a month and write my feature film’s plot, which I have planned to make it in the next year in Iran.
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!