Screening of 'Mermaid' in California; Asieh Ziaei: Playing the lead role is every actor's dream

The film 'Mermaid' directed by Iranian-American filmmaker Soudeh Moradian premiered for the first time in Los Angeles, California. This black-and-white film in English features performances by Asieh Ziaei, Natalie DeVincentis, Tom Miller, Mary Fry, and Jeremy Schinder. 'Mermaid' depicts the story of a mysterious girl, played by Natalie DeVincentis, who is rescued from drowning by a family living in an abandoned beach house. The family's strange relationship with the girl starts off as intimate but becomes complicated, ultimately reaching a point of no return. Filming took place in 2023 in Syracuse, New York, and the film has now reached the screening stage after editing. Asieh Ziaei, an artist residing in Los Angeles, plays an Iranian character named Darya, marking her first lead role in a film. Ziaei, a well-known figure in Iranian theater, cinema, and television, emigrated to the U.S. after being forced to leave her country and continues her artistic activities in California. She tells Voice of America that she had been in contact with Soudeh Moradian about several film projects for a long time, discussing various fictional characters, and was ultimately chosen to play in 'Mermaid.' Ziaei describes her experience playing Darya as 'valuable' and states that playing the lead role in a film, especially in America, is every professional actor's dream. She adds that 'Mermaid' is an 'artistic non-commercial' film and is considered a 'deep and meaningful' cinematic work. Soudeh Moradian, the film's director, who has a background in making several documentaries and narrative films, tells Voice of America that 'Mermaid' is based on a short story by Naghmeh Samini. She adds that while the original story takes place in Iran, she changed the setting to America, and after several rewrites with Naghmeh Samini, the screenplay for 'Mermaid' was completed. During this process, American artist Mary Fry also contributed to writing the film's English dialogues. According to Ms. Moradian, 'Mermaid' was not initially intended to be a horror, mysterious, or suspenseful work, but during the writing and pre-production stages, considering the story's tension and characters, the cinematic style of 'psychological horror' was chosen. The director explains that the film's black-and-white format better captures the mysterious atmosphere of the story and the eerie environment of the house, as the story takes place in a remote house by the water where the family has no connection to the outside world. Soudeh Moradian mentions that she had visual patterns in mind, like the works of Bergman and Hitchcock, and was interested in shaping 'Mermaid' within such a context. She further adds that she creatively and innovatively created a new structure during the production process, making this work a new experimental narrative in psychological horror cinema. Ms. Moradian, noting that the film's budget was secured through loans and various financial aids, states that she was not worried about investor pressure and was able to freely implement her cinematic ideas and opinions in the film. Soudeh Moradian expresses her happiness about the screening of 'Mermaid' in Los Angeles, describing the audience's reactions as satisfying, as they connected with the film's multi-layered story, eerie atmosphere, or characters. Asieh Ziaei introduces 'Darya' as a foundational and multi-layered character filled with human emotions and feelings. She explains that Darya is an Iranian woman and writer who has immigrated to a foreign land and encounters people who appear to be her friends, but she later realizes this is a false impression. Ziaei adds that this woman faces many challenges on her journey, and while struggling with new circumstances, she becomes doubtful and must answer the question of whether to stay for her own salvation or leave. This artist states that Tara, Darya's sister, is a key character in the film, played by Ghazal Youssefi. Tara mysteriously disappears, which is one of the complex mysteries of the story that engages the audience throughout various parts of the film. According to Ms. Ziaei, the film's framework and scenes are a blend of reality and dream, skillfully highlighting the unknown and mysterious aspects of the story. Ziaei praises Soudeh Moradian, describing her as a 'brave filmmaker' who has created such an unconventional work in today's commercial cinema. She considers 'Mermaid' a film for audiences eager for a different cinematic experience, allowing them to connect internally with the characters and accompany them on this challenging journey while reflecting on their lives and destinies.