Candy Crush

Abstract

Candy Crush is a short experimental film that explores varied experiences of migrants who leave their childhood memories and historical roots behind. It interweaves two narratives; the reminiscences of a migrant (myself) who has left Iran for Canada; and the story of a pregnant woman who has travelled to Canada with her four-year old daughter in order to gain Canadian citizenship for the newborn.

The film narrates these stories through the perspective of a child, and consists of text-on- screen narration, green-screen tableaus, documentary sequences and animation. The documentary portions were filmed when I was taking care of the four year old while her mother was dealing with pregnancy and delivery. During that period, I had to establish a close relationship with the child and answer all her questions in regards to the cultural differences between Iran and Canada. I had to use my cat, guitar, television, and candy shopping in order to distract her attention from some topics that were difficult to discuss. However, I hate candies, since they remind me of my own childhood isolation. These childhood memories were revived when I took the little girl candy shopping. The result is Candy Crush, a film about my own childhood memories that are interweaved with the story of the little girls migration to Canada.