\u201cIn the Shadow of the Cypress\u201d is a 2023 Iranian animated short by Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani. It premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, making history by claiming Iran\u2019s first Oscar in animation. \u201cIn the Shadow of the Cypress\u201d uses striking surrealistic techniques to vividly portray the experience of PTSD, helping viewers to understand the emotional and powerful impact of trauma.<\/p>\n
The film tells of a story of a former captain with PTSD living in an isolated home by the sea with his daughter. Their relationship is strained due to his struggles with his traumatic past. One day, a whale is stranded near their home, stirring up challenges for their relationship and forcing the father to confront his demons. This tale explores trauma but unfolds to be one of connection and hope.<\/p>\n
The film employs a minimalist aesthetic, characterized by simplicity in its character and world design, the use of vast, empty spaces, and a muted colour palette. The absence of dialogue, limited cast, and single location intensify the narrative and sharpen its focus. As Sohani notes, \u201csimplicity and minimalism allowed the story to keep the top priority\u201d. [1]<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.animationstudies.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Picture1.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nWhat stands out in this film is the incorporation of surrealism to highlight emotional points. A key moment occurs when the daughter attempts to leave their home; the father transforms into white petals that entwine around her, imploring her not to leave.<\/p>\n
In one scene, the father observes her daughter\u2019s hopelessness in her futile attempts to save the whale. She sits with her back towards him, and as he watches, melts into a shapeless form.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nAt another pivotal story point, the father, gripped by flashbacks, aims his gun at the whale. When the daughter intervenes by pushing him to the ground, his body shatters like glass upon impact.<\/p>\n
Surrealism in animation often transforms the world into a dreamlike space where the visuals are fantastic, reality is fluid, and stories follow their own internal logic. Although the narrative of \u201cIn the Shadow of the Cypress\u201d is grounded in realism, surrealism is woven into this world and used as a powerful tool to heighten the emotional impact of the film\u2019s narrative developments.<\/p>\n
In addition to these surrealist metaphors, the film appears to use abstract elements in the depiction of the father\u2019s traumatic flashbacks. These stark images are cut forcefully into the present-day scenes, creating a jarring contrast in colour, shape, and texture. Dominated by red, black, and white, they resemble roughly hewn linocut prints, disrupting the calm aesthetic of the film\u2019s established world.<\/p>\n
This technique reflects the fragmented nature of PTSD flashbacks. Molayemi claims, \u201cOur own lives are the source of inspiration for creating the inner world of the characters in this film\u201d. [1] Sohani\u2019s father is a war veteran who had lost an eye <\/s>and still carries a splinter in his skull, while Molayemi has a difficult relationship with his father. The many Iran-Iraq war veterans suffering from PTSD were also significant sources of inspiration and reference. In fact, the scene where the father hits his head against the mirror was directly informed by what they saw on a visit to a hospital for war veterans. This commitment to authenticity extended also to its depiction of traumatic memories.<\/p>\n
Surprisingly, when studying the flashback scenes frame by frame, the images reveal themselves to be predominantly figurative, not abstract. Some flashback images, like a fish or a tap (Figures 1 and 2), are identifiable because of their clear silhouettes, or because they appear on screen for at least two frames. Other images, like an ear or layered wolf heads (Figures 3 and 4), are less distinct and stay on screen for only one frame, rendering them indiscernible. These figurative images are designed for impact, to be felt rather than interpreted. Viewed at normal speed, they are perceived as abstract.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nThis is a sequence of images (start from top, left to right) shown within just two seconds. The frames underlined in blue are the non-flashback images, each held on screen for 6 frames. The rest of the images are flashbacks, each held for one or two frames.<\/em><\/p>\n Like PTSD\u2019s fragmented, intrusive and subconscious memories, the film conceals a hidden library of disturbing images, revealed only through frame-by-frame scrutiny. The film\u2019s visceral impact on viewers undoubtedly achieves one of the creators\u2019 primary objectives: \u201cto allow the audience to feel the lives of individuals suffering from PTSD and their families with their whole being\u201d. [5]<\/p>\n \u201cIn the Shadow of the Cypress\u201d is a film that courageously combines different styles and aesthetics. Set within a minimal and simple world, poignant moments are amplified through surrealist techniques. The depiction of PTSD uses stark, contrasting figurative images in an abstract and visceral way, concealing a horror that is accessible only on close examination. Sohani says that \u201ctheir goal was to allow the audience to interpret the meaning of the story, without overt symbolism\u2026\u201d [5] These strategies invite the viewer to engage deeply with the themes and meanings in the film. Molayemi further elaborates on their creative intention, saying, \u201cWe wanted our film to be truly valuable like a hand-woven carpet.\u201d [2] Indeed, this film seamlessly weaves together diverse techniques, creating a powerful narrative that invites the audience to explore the complexities of trauma, relationship and hope.<\/p>\n References:<\/strong><\/p>\n Dawn Lam<\/strong> is a lecturer in Animation at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). Her career in animation encompasses work on feature films, television series, and advertisements, including her role as a character animator at Walt Disney Animation Australia. She is currently pursuing a PhD at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), with a research focus on minimalist animation.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cIn the Shadow of the Cypress\u201d is a 2023 Iranian animated short by Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani. It premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, making history by claiming Iran\u2019s first Oscar in animation. \u201cIn the Shadow of the Cypress\u201d uses striking surrealistic techniques […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":271522,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12035],"tags":[8242,20957,5606],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-271521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-animation","tag-closer","tag-cypress","tag-shadow"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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