Identibye Review

Identibye is a 2021 short film written and directed by Sajjad Shahhatami.

A profound sense of visual styling, Identibye, tells a modern fable of a man struggling with his own identity in a culture where doing any other than fitting in is explicitly looked down upon.

There must be a high sense of praise for any filmmaker who comes along with a way to tell their story almost entirely visually. This concept always sounds simple on paper, but is so rarely achieved to a high degree. That is certainly not the case here where the amount of dialogue needed is next to none, and yet the story is conveyed perfectly.

With that achievement met, the polish to the visuals is at such a high level of standards. The cinematography is magnificent and the moment of pure dancing breakdown at the midpoint of the film is pure joy to see.

Another moment that deserves praise is the rooftop walk of our main protagonist. The scale it must have taken to get framing like that at the end of the drone move was perfection!

The acting too here is great as well. Strong performances line the film and the emotions pour out at a moment’s notice. The ability to know when to be patient and when to just let it all out at once is a hard balance to achieve, but it is here in spades.

Every detail on display seemed combed over to a fine degree. This is a subject that is not ease to talk about and convey, but if the number of film festivals this has been accepted into is any indication, this is one to watch.

Overall, there is simply just a lot to gush over with the short film Identibye. Strong visuals, strong acting, a strong score, there is a lot to love and a lot of reasons to watch this film. So, enough ranting here, when you can give this one a look.

To follow on social media: Instagram and Website

Cheers!

Daniel Hess

For more reviews and content stick with To Tony Productions and don’t forget to subscribe to our blog to stay up to date!