A still from the movieDirector: Kioumars Pourahmad
Language: Persian
Where are my shoes is undoubtedly one of the best films screened in the competition section of this year’s IFFK. The film is based on the story of an elderly man who suffers from Alzheimer’s.
Habib Kaveh has difficulty in remembering things and it is confirmed that he has Alzheimer’s disease. He even forgets his way to home. Memories dance in his mind and he lives in the past forgetting his actual being. As he loses his ability to think and recall, his memories leap back in time.
Habib stays alone as his family – wife and daughter – has abandoned him long back. Although he manages everything alone for some time, there comes a point when Habib can’t do without a nurse. He has the support of his brother’s family but they also have their own life to take care of.
At this point, Habib’s daughter Bita returns home and realizes that her father has Alzheimer’s. Though he fails to recognize his long-lost little daughter, Bita decides to look after him.
Bita tries to find out the reason behind her parents’ separation and accuses Habib’s brother and family of creating misunderstanding between them. Bita finds out that Habib had tried his best to bring his family back home and tried sending a lot of letters to his wife. His wife too had written many letters to Habib. But both of their families made sure that the letters don’t reach him or her, thus widening the rift between them.
A depressed Habib, who is reliving his past, can be seen crying and wailing for his lost daughter and Bita is unable to convince that she is standing next to him. When Bita explains Habib’s condition to her mother, she comes home to support him, forgetting all their problems.
There are many instances in which the story takes you through an emotional high tide. The scene in which Habib’s shoes are recovered from a book shelf and his inability to remember things will get you into the flow of the story. Habib pampers his old memories: what he never forgets is the lyrics of a lullaby he used to sing for his beloved daughter Bita.
The story is very realistic and has shown the trauma that is Alzheimer’s. The film never takes a dark approach towards the disease but makes us think about the hardships that a family goes through. The film concludes on a positive note that a miracle could happen any day and Habib would come back to normal life. Reza Kianian’s exceptionally great performance makes Where are my shoes a must-watch.
