Night of Melancholia

Night of Melancholia is a short narrative film set almost entirely inside a small apartment in Iran, over the course of a single evening. The story follows Mahy, a woman living under the belief that a government-released fog erases memory. As a result, she has developed precise rituals to protect herself from forgetting: sealing windows, wearing a mask, rewinding the same tape record, and photographing her husband each time he returns home. Mahy’s husband, Siavash, repeatedly arrives at the apartment in a state of confusion, believing protests are still ongoing and that he is being pursued. Each time, he does not fully remember who Mahy is or the life they share. Mahy documents these moments using a Polaroid camera, creating visual proof of his return and of a reality that continually slips away. As the night unfolds, fragments of suppressed memory surface through sound recordings, missing objects, and a child’s voice embedded in the vinyl record. The apartment itself becomes a space marked by absence, empty walls, removed belongings, and gaps where memory should be. The repetition begins to fracture, revealing that what has been forgotten may be tied not only to political control, but to personal loss. The film uses repetition, sound, and confined space to explore memory erosion, state violence, and the cost of survival when remembering becomes dangerous.

Director: Fozhan Gharib

Country: United States