INSTAGRAM
ABOUT
ABOUT
2025
18-25 JUNE
Holy Doll
(Somayeh Roustaie, 2025)
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
Holy Doll is a sad symphony of words, images and sounds illustrating a woman’s breakdown. I attempted to create a vision for my poem, inspired by a local exhibition of incongruous dolls, beauty, and beasts in the same body. I aim to illustrate a woman trapped in a harmful relationship, watching herself getting lost. I intend to demonstrate and highlight the conclusion of such a relationship for those struggling in a similar situation, hoping that the painful ending of my film serves as a wake-up call. I wanted to involve myself as the creator as much as possible. My film incorporates my poem, voice, and painting, highlighting my approach to subjective style. Holy Doll is profoundly inspired and influenced by Mashes of the Afternoon (Deren, 1943); for instance, the opening scene portrays the female character.
This film is produced as part of Experimental Cinema Module.
SYNOPSIS
Holy Doll is a lyrical experimental film, created by tangled layers of poems, narration and painting. The poem is the film's main pillar and inspiration, with themes of patriarchy, love and womanhood. These themes echo through the performance of narration in English and Persian, and a disappearing portrait. Holy Doll illustrates how a woman is drawn into a controlling and abusive relationship. The character's frustration and disappearance are portrayed with the images of a captured, hopeless woman who gradually falls and destroys.
Cast & Crew
Somayeh Roustaei
Vahid Atmani
Rasta Saeedi
Alessandro E. Pacik