Like a Fish on the Moon

Haleh and her husband Amir are facing a difficult situation: their four-year-old son Ilya has suddenly stopped talking. Various professional consultations reveal no physiological cause, so a psychotherapist comes up with an unusual solution. The boy’s mother, who has cared for him until now, is to take a back seat while the father assumes her role looking after the child. The tension generated by this change to their daily life only intensifies until the family gradually starts to lose control. This feature debut by director Dornaz Hajiha is not only an excellent study of human relationships bereft of spontaneity and the harrowing consequences this entails, but it is also a tale of the helplessness that all parents experience in their efforts to protect their beloved child. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)