Noora Niasari drew on her own childhood when writing her debut feature, Shayda, and her understated film has that quality that autobiographical films need in order to shine: specificity.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Sep 3, 2024

Niasari, who writes and produces as well as directing, racks up the tension ... in this sure-footed debut feature.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 8, 2024

A quiet, thoughtful feature, it handles such difficult themes with delicacy and confidence, and our mum and child leads are terrific together.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 8, 2024

Niasari has made a deeply personal film that remarkably captures its protagonist’s harrowing journey and pays tribute to all victims of abuse who are able to take a daring stand.

| Original Score: B+ | Jul 23, 2024

The assured directorial debut of Noora Niasari, Shayda captures the claustrophobic tension and sickening dread of a wife trying and failing to evade the reach of a violent, angry man.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 22, 2024

This debut fiction feature from the Australian-Iranian documentary director Noora Niasari proves a worthy vehicle for the incendiary talents of Zar Amir Ebrahimi.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 19, 2024

Niasari delivers an engaging and deeply moving account of female empowerment in a film that is careful to never over-egg the symbolism, choosing pragmatism and authenticity instead.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 19, 2024

While the themes covered aren't uncommon to see in films nowadays, it is the director's personal experience that ultimately allows for a thoughtful impact on audiences long past the final scene.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 18, 2024

Shayda, the heartfelt first feature directed by Noora Niasari, is a compelling story of an Iranian woman fleeing domestic abuse to seek cultural freedom.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 18, 2024

Noora Niasari creates a story of her own childhood that mixes the drama of gender violence with the resources of a horror film. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 28, 2024

[Shayda] has sensitivity, truth and rightness. And is a tribute to women and mothers who fight for their rights. But it lacks the depth needed to reach the heights of cinema. [Full review in Spanish]

| Jun 28, 2024

Shayda may feel a bit clunky in places but that can't stifle the sheer force of the emotion it evokes.

| Original Score: 3/5 | May 14, 2024

It's a riveting story, packed with moments that are tense, sweet and sometimes a bit too emotional.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Apr 23, 2024

An important story with a powerful lead performance, but dry as a bone.

| Original Score: B- | Apr 5, 2024

Unflinching in its portrayal of battle lines defined by gender and tradition, Shayda refuses to force-feed a message to its audience, confronting you with a harsh reality that’s already staring you in the face.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Apr 3, 2024

This searing drama about an Iranian woman trying to protect herself and her daughter from an abusive husband in 1990s Australia rings overly familiar notes.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 3, 2024

Nasari, who reportedly based some of the movie on her own life, may not break new ground, but with Ebrahimi's help, she makes Shayda's story feel alarmingly fresh.

| Mar 29, 2024

It’s an understated performance in many ways, but in those quiet moments, whether it be a new haircut or a tapping foot, Ebrahimi provides an astonishing education of what it means to be a woman fleeing an abusive relationship.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Mar 25, 2024

If watching “Shayda” sounds like a depressing experience or slightly elevated Lifetime with an international flavor, dispel those notions immediately.

| Mar 24, 2024

Shayda is a remarkable feature filmmaking debut for Niasari, a beautifully constructed film with honest, vulnerable storytelling.

| Original Score: 3.5/4.0 | Mar 23, 2024