Living in Fear

In Kayvon Derak Shanian’s short film, Living in Fear, there may be a glimmer of hope in finding peace in this world…one person at a time.

It’s just days after the tragic events of 9/11, and a father, Reza (Arash Mokhtar), has a heart-to-heart talk with his son, Cameron (Nour Jude Assaf), about living without fear as a Muslim teen in a post-9/11 world. Jump forward in time as Cameron suffers from severe PTSD and anxiety after the beating death of Reza at the hands of a pair of racists.

Now, with only the support from his mother, Julie (Kathleen Wilhoite), Cameron finds himself constantly in defense mode. He’s always looking over his shoulder; he is unable to trust anyone who is not Muslim and is fearful that everyone sees him as a terrorist. Cameron must now confront all his fears when he returns to school.

“…a father…has a heart-to-heart talk with his son…about living without fear…”

Having seen more than my fair share of short films, writer/director Kayvon Derak Shanian takes a poignant look at being Muslim in America from many intriguing perspectives on the subject. Many of the films I see about racism are merely an indictment of the U.S. as being racist. In Living in Fear, we look at the subject of Islamaphobia from many different perspectives, including Cameron’s caucasian mother, Jennifer (Cameron’s school crush), and even Reza, whose prophetic words encourage Cameron to not live in fear. The film encourages empathy and patience to spark unity in our communities.

The film itself is well-made and presented professionally. Although a story like this can often feel heavy-handed, bordering on melodrama, as it delivers a difficult message, in the end, Living in Fear is a plea for peace in highly elevated times.