Written and directed by Hoda Taheri and Boris Hadzija, Hoda, an Iranian refugee living in Berlin, is pregnant and in love with Boris, a queer gay man from Serbia. Together, they decide to marry and raise the child, imagining a future built on their own terms. As they prepare for the wedding and enter more deeply into each other’s worlds, their relationship is seriously tested by all the red tape and their families’ expectations and histories that neither of them can leave behind. Starring: Hoda Taheri, Boris Hadžija, Branka Hadžija, Jahandokht Taheri and Hadi Khanjanpour.
Hoda Taheri and Boris Hadzija quickly build a wholesome, natural charm to I Plant My Hand in the Garden. It holds a frankness and honesty which is endearing to watch, especially when they’ve also created captivating characters. For the first half of the film, it’s straight down that road, exploring the immigrant experience and relationships while creating an engaging family drama. It all works very well, the cinematography from Vytautas Katkus has a nicely old-school quality, a great grain and an organic touch.
However, somewhere around the midpoint, a switch flips with I Plant My Hand in the Garden and the style completely changes gears. It shifts the timeline, and it starts exploring the issues of asylum, citizenship, sexuality and parenthood in a very different way. It also announces that shift with a distinctly bold choice, which is a transition that will certainly surprise a lot of viewers. The creative swings which Taheri and Hadzija take from that point forward are really interesting, particularly how it uses the idea of fluidity both in its story and its style, but the problem is, it didn’t build the foundation for that.
Leaving it until late in the game to truly reveal what I Plant My Hand in the Garden is didn’t really do it any favours. It’s a shame as there’s a lot of good, original, ideas in that latter half to create something new and different, and very modern, but there isn’t enough time to let them become fully realised. If they had been employed all throughout the film, there was the potential for something unique, fresh and unusual. They did also built a good sense of unpredictability, which is surprisingly consistent throughout.
Especially as the performances from Hoda Taheri and Boris Hadžija similarly had the potential to become something more eccentric or bizarre. They both manage to create natural charm to their characters and an organic connection. They’re able to evolve the characters as I Plant My Hand in the Garden moves forward, unravelling the layers to their personalities. They both capture a complexity and craft really well rounded characters.
Within I Plant My Hand in the Garden there are actually two films, one that follows a traditional style, and one that veers off down a creative, unusual road, and both of them have value, but both of them needed a full film to reach their potential. It would have been interesting to see both versions, one playing it straight yet offbeat, the other going all in on the creative choices as they’re both entertaining. Hoda Taheri and Boris Hadžija do well on all fronts, the direction is solid, the writing is modern and touches upon a lot of issues of the day, and their performances are excellent. It may not come together perfectly, but there’s a lot of great ideas in the mix, a lot of personality, and taking those bold, unique swings makes for an impressive debut feature from Taheri and Hadžija.
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