Short Film Review: “Anwar” – A Thought-Provoking Meditation of Mortality, Eternity and Love.

Death is always a difficult subject to have a conversation about. Even though we will all die someday, coming to terms with this is difficult for everyone regardless of how you see it. If you had the chance to live forever, would you take it? Or would you settle for living only one fulfilling lifetime? This is the question this short film asks with its narrative.

‘Anwar‘, an emotion-eliciting short film directed by Fawaz Al-Matrouk, attempts to tackle the subject of death, eternal life, and love, all embroidered in this dramatic science fiction.

In the film, within 19 minutes, we follow the story of a mother, Mona who chooses to live forever and a son, Anwar, who longs for heaven. We see Anwar age from 8 to 18 to 80, while Mona remains eternal throughout, until he has a final moment of doubt, and she has a final moment of hope.

“What happens when you die? Where do you go?” 8-year-old Anwar asks Mona. His father had not accepted this fix for eternal life and had passed on, and Anwar is certainly curious if they would ever get to meet again. At the older age of 17, he implies that his mother is not real considering that she had accepted this science that has taken the life out of her to keep her alive for eternity.

Kerry Bishé delivers a convincing performance as Mona, the ageless android mother. She is able to show love, empathy, fear, and also some aggression that can only be associated with a mother’s genuine love for her son. All the other actors in the film also deserve some credit for their contributions to the film’s emotional arch with the strong performances and interpretation of the character Anwar. 

The 19-minute short uses its limited runtime very well, especially considering the several years that are captured in the narrative. Although it leaves you wishing you could have seen more, especially about how Anwar had lived his life away from his mother in the woods, accepting that he would want to die and move on someday, the film still delivers an emotionally rich experience.

Aesthetically, the film looks very decent for a short. From cinematography, art direction, costuming, sound, and visual effects, you can see that nothing was compromised on. It has all the markings of a well-thought-through production, as every element was very well delivered on without any compromises.

But underneath it all is its strong theme. The story plays with time in a way that reinforces its themes. As Anwar ages from childhood to old age, his mother remains unchanged, symbolizing both the pain of separation and the stark contrast in their choices. The film uses sci-fi as a metaphor for the divide between religious faith and the pursuit of earthly permanence, positioning forever on Earth as just as real and compelling as forever in Heaven. This makes the film something to ponder on. As humans, do we accept the nature of our beliefs that we are mortals and we will one day die? Or do we continue to pursue the idea of living forever and relinquishing death to be only but a choice?

Anwar is a powerful short film that does not just tell a sci-fi story but also probes deep into human emotions and philosophical dilemmas. It is a film that lingers in your thoughts, making you ponder your stance on life and eternity. It is easy to score this short film a perfect 5 out of 5 stars with how it approaches its subject matter and leaves you with a lot to think about once it’s ended.