Shayda
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: December 1, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
76
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
17
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Original-CinLiz BraunMar 21, 2024
Both a horror story about domestic abuse and a love-letter to the mother-daughter relationship, Shayda is an award-winning first feature about female agency from writer-director Noora Niasari. Read full review
90
The New York TimesNatalia WinkelmanMar 1, 2024
In her first narrative feature, Niasari, who based the story in part on her own experiences, demonstrates an astounding control of pacing and mood. Read full review
83
IndieWireSusannah GruderJan 19, 2024
The film retains its overall strength by focusing on its mother-daughter leads, their enduring bond, and their efforts to carve out a bit of serenity in a chaotic world. Read full review
83
ColliderChase HutchinsonFeb 9, 2023
Throughout all of it, Ebrahimi gives a performance that, even in immense isolation, tells a whole story on its own and leaves a lingering impression long after the film itself comes to a close. Read full review
80
The Irish TimesTara BradyAug 1, 2024
Niasari, who writes and produces as well as directing, racks up the tension to match his psychopathy in this sure-footed debut feature. Read full review
80
Little White LiesMadeleine WilsonJul 17, 2024
It’s a harrowing and powerful film that navigates the intricate terrain of going against tradition and longing for freedom, one that aims to extend the personal confines of cultural conflict beyond the fictional characters it portrays. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleMar 4, 2024
In charting that road from disorienting fragility to determined independence, Ebrahimi serves up a memorably nuanced performance. Read full review
80
Screen DailyTim GriersonJan 19, 2024
Amir Ebrahimi gives a remarkable performance that’s a smart mixture of fiery and openhearted. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenJan 19, 2024
Fueling the drama is the quiet ferocity of Zar Amir Ebrahimi’s performance and her tender chemistry with Selina Zahednia as 6-year-old Mona. Read full review
80
Screen RantMae AbdulbakiOct 28, 2023
Niasari carefully and assuredly handles an intense and emotional story with ease and vulnerability. With her work on Shayda, Niasari is a filmmaker whose work we should keep an eye out for. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerMar 25, 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. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeOdie HendersonMar 14, 2024
For the first 90 minutes, the film has a light touch that centers its story and makes us identify with Shayda. Read full review
75
Washington PostTy BurrMar 6, 2024
Shayda could have been a horror story. Instead, it’s a survivor’s tale, and it’s suffused with gratitude and love. Read full review
75
The Associated PressLindsey BahrFeb 28, 2024
Shayda is set in 1995 and yet still feels quite relevant, and not just for Iranian women. In Niasari, we have a brave and distinctive new filmmaking voice and I can’t wait to see what she does next. Read full review
67
The Film StageAlistair RyderDec 4, 2023
Its portrayal of a childhood under these turbulent circumstances is unnerving, Zahednia delivering one of the most revelatory child performances of recent memory––almost entirely through silently terrified reaction shots. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreMar 25, 2024
Ebrahimi, dogged and fierce in “Holy Spider,” carries the picture by simply humanizing a character who could be Anywoman facing this sort of crisis in a foreign land, or a home country that disregards women’s rights. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comPeyton RobinsonMar 1, 2024
The story of “Shayda” is moving, though ordinary. The spectrum of emotion is captured, from tension to joy to despair, but the way the film moves through them is plain at best and bland at worst. Read full review
50
Wall Street JournalKyle SmithDec 1, 2023
Sensitive as the film is, it might be most effective to those who haven’t sat through scores of iterations of what has come to be known as the Sundance Film. Read full review
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