As human beings we have become uncomfortably immune to discussions on eating disorders. Thanks to the bubble that is social media, where social issues bust just as fast as they go viral, most of us have desensitized to the serious struggles of anorexia bulimia.
FilmScreening
Asim Abbasi’s short film, screened at T2F, teaches one a lesson or two about judging our, and others’, physical selves.
Karachi
As human beings we have become uncomfortably immune to discussions on eating disorders. Thanks to the bubble that is social media, where social issues bust just as fast as they go viral, most of us have desensitized to the serious struggles of anorexia bulimia. In the wake of this numbness, Asim Abbasi’s short film Little Red Roses is a brutal, visually engaging reminder of the emotional rubble that is part and parcel of s
uffering from an eating disorder.
Showcased at T2F on Tuesday evening to a packed house of aspiring filmmakers, established critics and commercial actors like Gohar Rasheed, the 15-minutes short film is based around what the non-profit Jubilee Project’s video depicted in 2014, whereby children ended up teaching adults to be comfortable in their own skin. But instead of being a moral campaign of sorts, Abbasi’s film is engrossing, thought-provoking and rather graphic.
Young girl Tabinda Rafiq is a street seller on the cusp of puberty, who chooses to dress up as a boy. As she escapes a shop-lifting incident, she has a chance encounter with model/actress Miraal Sara Intesaar, whom she idolizes. Miraal, too, is going through struggles of her own – the challenges of being a certain body size; having a certain public image. As their lives intersect, the audience witnesses the disturbing truth of showbiz and the desperation of feeling worthless. The dialogues are crisp, hard-hitting and the performances brilliant. Tara Mahmood also steps in for a cameo but does not fail to make an impact. The real show stealer however is Tabinda, who, in her final frame, is breathtaking as the healer of Miraal’s pain.
“I had seen a sister’s friend go through the horrors of bulimia and I felt it was an important message to give out,” Abbasi said in the Q&A session that followed the screening. “I won’t expand it into a feature though because there isn’t really a market out there for it. This was enough to give off a solid message and confront it.”
And it indeed was. Short films can be a rewarding experience – hitting the target with discipline and constraint. Asim’s previous work has been similar too. His short films including Once A Man and Whore have played at several film festivals around the world, including the BAFTA-recognized Aesthetica Short Film Festival, HollyShorts Los Angeles, Cannes Short Film Corner and Shortini Italy among others.
Surprisingly enough, in the day and age where men are the centre of attention, Asim’s protagonists have all been women. “Women make for interesting subjects. They have a lot more layers to their personalities and there is a lot that needs to be said about their struggles,” Abbasi added.
Recently, the world has witnessed a number of Pakistani filmmakers do wonders in the field of making shorts. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s A Girl in the River has been shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination and Cannes has been a host to many edge-of-the-seat stories. Abbasi’s Little Red Roses lifts the flag higher, though it would be interesting to see it being screened on television, if not cinemas, because it has an important message in store for all of society.
