In the Shadow Of The Cypress: Short Review. By Joe Muldoon.

Sublimely gorgeous and refreshingly original, writer-director-producer duo Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi’s In the Shadow of the Cypress is a stunning feat in short-form animation. A former captain struggling with PTSD lives in a house along the coast with his daughter. Their life is quiet, secluded; that is, until a large whale finds itself beached on the sand outside their home.

Though the pair attempt to free the whale and send it back to sea, their efforts are unrewarded. Frustrated by his unsuccessful attempts, the captain retreats to his docked boat, leaving his daughter alone to aid the stranded mammal. Whilst the girl splashes the whale with water and covers it with towels to shield it from the baking sun, her father is attacked by a deluge of triggering memories, spectres of his past.

A short such as this is impressive on any scale, but considering the size of the creative team, In the Shadow of the Cypress is nothing short of astounding. Each frame is breathtakingly painted with soft, simple details, unhurriedly edited together by Molayemi. The minimalistic sound design (led by Hossein Ghoorchian) complements the score (led by Afshin Azizi) beautifully, the splash of each opaque wave underlined by an equally minimalistic arrangement, wonderfully tranquil.

Having enjoyed an overwhelmingly enthusiastic reception from festival audiences and juries, the short has also found itself on the shortlist for the coveted Best Animated Short at this year’s Academy Awards. A gentle, affecting story of kindness and compassion, In the Shadow of the Cypress is a work of art.

By Joe Muldoon.

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