Written and directed by and starring Elham Ehsas, in Taliban controlled Afghanistan, Laili walks into a Chadari store in Kabul to buy her first full body veil and face a new future. Also starring: Afsaneh Dehrouyeh and Ahmad Jan Mano.
While Elham Ehsas has chosen a harsh, harrowing topic to explore, he has also chosen to immerse Yellow in a thoughtful and even playful atmosphere. Ehsas’ choices of style starts out on an almost romantic note, there’s a highly pensive feel to the air of the film right from the beginning. It walks the line of sombre and sweet, the tone has a sincere tenderness to it. It approaches the topic in an accessible way by using simplicity to explore the complex. The emotions and larger implications of the story are all bubbling under the surface but on that surface is a touching connection.
The same can be said of the aesthetic of Yellow, there’s a softened and warm quality to it. It’s inviting and welcoming, easing you into its story. Ehsas does well to capture the complicated nature of this moving interaction. It gives the feel of a stolen moment, especially within the context of its unforgiving and punishing setting. Having those brief few moments connecting with another person, without it being destroyed by a restrictive and misogynist set of rules and endless judgement.
Those qualities are then enhanced by the performances from writer, director Ehsas and Afsaneh Dehrouyeh. There is such a beautifully simple and unspoken understanding between the two of them which blooms all the emotions that the story plants. Dehrouyeh’s Laili is a nicely complicated character, the performance highlights all of the feeling behind the more straightforward conversation. Portraying her intelligence, sense of humour and resilience. While Ehsas captures his character’s bigger personality, compassion and respect for women in his small acts of kindness. Together they create a much larger conversation while never really speaking on the topic.
Yellow feels like a great starting point to a deeper discussion of oppression, creating an accessible and compassionate way to approach the topic of the Taliban. It’s sweet, thoughtful and tender in its tone but there’s a lot more at work beneath the surface. Having that blend of an almost romantic atmosphere while touching upon such a harsh subject is an interesting and surprisingly effective blend. It may play things too soft for some but it has the best of intentions and works well, simultaneously giving viewers plenty to enjoy and food for thought.
FilmCarnage.com 