Retouch
After witnessing her husband's death, an Iranian woman navigates the unsettling consequences of choosing not to intervene.
Overview
A haunting exploration of grief and helplessness unfolds in a single moment of tragedy.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- disturbing
- restrained
- tense
- arthouse film night
- short film festival viewing
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Maryam watches her husband die instead of intervening, making inaction the film's central ethical pressure.
Maryam's behavior after witnessing the death invites sustained questions about what she knows, wants, and chooses not to reveal.
The film turns an intimate marital death and its aftermath into a quietly disturbing social and psychological environment.
Its contemporary Iranian setting, ordinary domestic crisis, and observational dramatic mode align with Iranian realist cinema.
Films like Retouch, and why
A Separation
shared intimate drama, moral ambiguity, and a woman confronting the aftermath of sudden death
The Salesman
shared restrained iranian social realism, domestic crisis, and psychologically complex female perspective
The Neighbors' Window
shared short-form social drama, female-centered tension, and quietly unsettling ethical conflict
Movie Details
- Director
- Kaveh Mazaheri
- Release Date
- 2018-03-15
- Runtime
- 19 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (5)
Cast
- Sonia Sanjari
- Siamak Farsi
- Hanieh Mofleh
- Azadeh Abaadpoor
- Mohammad Hossein Ziksari
- Forough Azizi
- Hana Fooladifard
- Ali Janebollahi
Common questions
- What is Retouch about?
- After witnessing her husband's death, an Iranian woman navigates the unsettling consequences of choosing not to intervene.
- What is Retouch like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Retouch as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Retouch violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Retouch as mild.
- Which films are like Retouch?
- Films with a similar feel include A Separation, The Salesman, and The Neighbors' Window.
- How long is Retouch?
- Retouch runs 19 minutes.
