No Hard Feelings

Faraz Shariat's 2020 German film follows Parvis, the son of exiled Iranians. He gets through life in a small town on pop culture, app dates and raves. Caught shoplifting, he is sentenced to community service at a refugee shelter, where he meets two siblings who have fled Iran. The distinction the film draws is sharp: Parvis was born in Germany, is a citizen and can live as he likes; the situation of Banafshe and Amon depends on a deportation decision. Shared origin does not mean equality here, and the film works on that openly. The visual language is energetic: colour filters, digital images, home video. Archive material from Shariat's own family enters the film, and his mother and father appear as performers. It won the Teddy jury award at the Berlinale. Who it's for: those who like queer migrant narratives and formally lively German independent cinema. Who it's not for: viewers wanting classic narrative; the film moves between video diary and fiction.