Asra (2018)

Directed by: Caio Cortonesi | 15 minutes | short film, drama | Actors: Humberto Pedrancini, Debora Aquino, Caio Cortonesi, Juliana Drummond, Pietro Barbosa

Omar’s father Ayman is dying. The grief of the impending end weighs on the forties, despite the fact that his relationship with his father is not great. There is little left to say and that little left to be said is loaded with wrong intonation or perhaps even the desire to hurt. Ayman is a devout Muslim; Omar chose his own path early in life and made choices that his father could not support.

This story comes to us in beautiful black and white scenes. The short film ‘Asra’ gradually reveals its secrets and the viewer remains fascinated until the end of this special family history, of which we only get to see the top layer. The director, who also plays the role of the son, doses the story with subtlety and empathy for his characters. There is no right or wrong side; everyone is valued.

‘Asra’ is very beautifully filmed; the play with light and shadow creates an intensity of the images, especially in the last minutes of Ayman’s life. A surprising plot twist gives the story a bittersweet aftertaste. If people would allow others, but certainly also themselves, to be themselves…