Ava is a young woman who runs an automobile garage situated on the interstate highway. Having taken over from her father who is now too old to continue, Ava runs the place, hopeful that her brother Mohamad would come back from his military service on the front and take over the garage. Once she hands over the garage into the able hands of her brother, Ava looks forward to a happy married life with her beau Abbas. Abbas also eagerly awaits the moment when Ava is free of her responsibilities and has time to spend for herself. Further, he is unhappy about her working as a mechanic in a society that is not readily accepting of women in areas related to technology and mechanics. With many hopes pinned on Mohamad’s return, Ava receives a call from Mohamad informing her that he will be discharged from service in a few days and that she can prepare for her marriage and a new life as soon as he returns.
‘Ava’s Silence’ is a narrative short from Director Seyed GholamReza Nematpour. In this refreshing short, Seyed unveils the dreams and aspirations of a young girl. He captures the tension in Ava’s wait for a better life. Her anticipation of the day when she can hand over her responsibilities and move on with her life grows with each passing day. This well-crafted film captures the dry and barren landscape of the isolated shop on the highway; lonely, in the middle of nowhere and vulnerable. This landscape is an important character that crafts the story. The ambient noise from the highway in the backdrop plays the part of the haunting background score that sets the mood of the film.
‘Ava’s Silence’ is a question about the sanity of the war that has been ongoing for the past two decades. It reminds us of innumerable dreams that are shattered with every landmine, every mortar and every bullet. The film assigns a human face to every single soldier engaged in the war and talks of the hopes pinned on each one of those faces, by their families back home. ‘Ava’s Silence’ is a loud protest to the mindless wars around the world.
