Austin Film Festival Short Film Review: ‘Arman & Elisa’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Short Feature Film, ‘Arman & Elisa’.
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We live at a point in human history, where we are desperate to enact change when it comes to the darkness that surrounds us. Simply because there is an understanding that said darkness is destructive and it inspires the wrong acts in the wrong people, and we know that without doing something soon… darkness might take hold. Since it preys upon fear and hurt and all the worst parts of the human condition. Which is why we have tried to inject kindness into the lives of impoverished children, so they don’t have to experience the cruelty of the world and will never once be inspired to fight against it. And of course, we are trying to better understand mental health in the hopes of preventing that from being a cause of darkness. Since a mind broken by trauma might be inspired to find a sense of justice.

Yet, despite saving those children, and helping those in need… it persists. In fact, little of what we’ve done has really put a dent in evil. For it still exists in this world and has no qualms creating more of itself. So how then… do we stop it? How do we combat that which is seemingly unstoppable? Well, in the regular world we don’t seem to have those answers, but slowly and surely, stories are beginning to ponder upon the answers in a frank manner. Since stories observe what we don’t think to look for sometimes, and therein lies surprises and fixes, and it just so happens that a short feature film that recently screened at the Austin Film Festival, works to explore the answers to those questions. Which makes Arman & Elisa quite the poignant and powerful film.

One that plunges us into the heart of Luxembourg. Where an Iranian boy named Arman is eager to make friends at a new school but is struggling to do so. Simply because that is how life goes when you’re the new kid in town. But eventually he makes friends with a young girl named Elisa and they quickly learn to trust and stand with one another. To the point where it seems their friendship is about to become one for the ages. But one fine day, when they work to create a little art, they find themselves in trouble with the school. For they have painted something inappropriate and now, it will be up to the adults to help them be accountable for their actions, provided of course… the adults can stop pointing fingers at who is really at fault for the creation of this art. 

Which is a plot that outright speaks to the reality… that the reason why darkness and division persists, relates more to our actions in the everyday world. Because every single day, we have the chance to help enact change and inspire good, but don’t, as is the case here. After all, a grand mistake by these children, should have been easily corrected by way of a good talking to from their parents. Wherein they could have learned what made their painting so wildly inappropriate and why they should not have invoked the imagery they did. Which would in turn, allow for powerful lessons about hate and the darkness of the world to come to light. The kind that would in fact… help to combat the darkness and help us to understand, we are all one.

But instead, there’s that damn infighting between parents and families, the kind where division persists, and a bold choice is made, one where Elisa is ordered to never speak to Arman again, and therein lies the proof as to how we crate that division and inspire darkness. Because a little girl learned that boys from Iran are trouble, and that boy learned that trying to be friends with a white person from the Western World is a waste of time. Creating the divisions, we are supposedly desperate to end, and that could in turn, help hate grow, in a child’s heart. The kind that will keep the fighting going, the darkness going. All because of the ignorance and hypocrisy of adults who believe they know best, when in fact they don’t practice what they preach and that makes… for a stunning short feature. One that truly gives us pause.

Because… there’s real gravity and power to what is explored in writer/director’s Kiyan Agadjani’s brilliant script, and real truth as well. Because hate and division are indeed taught. Making it essential that we work as a society, as a species to practice what we preach in our everyday lives, and really teach others what evil in the world looks like so they know to avoid it and never practice it. Which is of course, easier said than done, since we’ve been doing the opposite for far too many generations. But all it takes, is a handful to truly break the cycle… and time. And if we can do the opposite of what we see here, change will eventually come to this world, and it is wonderful to know that stories such as this brilliant feature, are recognizing that and speaking it aloud… so the conversations can begin, and the darkness can eventually fade.

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