Zahida finds it hard to adjust to her new life in a retirement home as she gets to meet her fellow residents in the short film Dry Leaves. Here is our review.
There is something timeless about the monochrome look when used in film. In recent years, the likes of Alfonso Cuaron, David Fincher, and Robert Eggers have opted to use black and white photography to great effect with their sterling efforts Roma, Mank, and The Lighthouse respectively. When used well, telling a story in black and white can add to the aesthetic and feel of storytelling and, I’m pleased to report, the decision to use a monochrome look in the short film Dry Leaves was a wise choice by director Ali Sohail Jaura.
According to the director, Dry Leaves is the first collaboration between India and Pakistan for a short film, and though I have no way of collaborating that claim, all I can say is, if that is correct, then this is a great short film to honour such an achievement.
After being driven to a large old house by her son, Zahida (Samina Ahmad) is led to her new room in the retirement complex. Here she meets some of her new neighbours, including a bubbly roommate with a big personality called Farhat Un Ain (played by Durdana Butt). After presenting Zahida with an old Umbrella as a gift, Farhat then proceeds in getting to know her new friend more in order to help her settle in.
Coming in at just over nine minutes in length (including the end credits) there isn’t a great deal to Dry Leaves in terms of plot. We see Zahida arrive, walk to her room, chat with Farhat, and then eat a meal. I would have loved to have seen more of Zahida’s struggle as she comes to terms with her new life and the knowledge that this stage of her life very well may be her last. Still, I enjoyed what was on offer.
The performances of all the actors were excellent throughout, as was the direction by the aforementioned Ali Sohail Jaura. The blocking was done really well and Jaura managed to get the right emotions from his performers. The cinematography, for the most part, is really well done, though I remember questioning the framing in a couple of shots.
Dry Leaves is currently on a festival run and, as I have been informed, could very well find a home on a streaming site in the very near future. We recommend Dry Leaves, especially for the performances and direction.
