Reflective Encounters

“Much of Iranian cinema is typified by a stark realism, the product of both a traditional aesthetic running throughout its film history and current modes of production.  Spotted Yellow is something of a repudiation of tradition as director Baran Samad explores the spaces in which the fantastical can offer occur.

While our protagonist Roya, replete with a yellow spot on her face, spends the first few moments of the film in a seeming state of despair – screaming into the dark recesses of a bus, her pale skin later only lit by the flickering of a TV – we are soon thrust into a world of colour. The blue sky, the lusciousness of green grass and the yellow of a giraffe outfit speak of both freedom and an escape from the darkness that everyday life can sometimes envelop us in. As we enjoy moments of gentle humour – Roya puts on a giraffe outfit and explores the world – we also see that life can be made up of moments of wonder. These moments are around us more than you might think and – as in Spotted Yellow – it often takes cinema to remind us that they’re there.”

— Laurence Boyce