Trauma from the Iran-Iraq War still lingers in both countries, but especially for this Iranian father. A stray bomb decimated his family and ripped his psyche apart. We will see just how profoundly the latter is damaged when Abed Abest takes viewers inside his wounded subconscious in Killing the Eunuch Khan, which screens as part of the (online) 2022 Slamdance Film Festival.
Descriptions of this film border on malpractice. Anyone coming to Eunuch Khan expecting a thriller that follows a serial killer who forces his victims to kill further victims will be bitterly disappointed. That is some sort of allegory referenced in the opening titles, but not subsequently chronicled on-screen. However, there are literally tsunamis of blood that periodically cascade through the father’s haunted house. There is definitely a case to be made that this is a horror film, but it is not constructed to satisfy any conventional genre fans.
Do not try to assign one-to-one symbolic references to everything that unfolds, because that would be a fool’s errand. Just think of Abest’s images as the fevered dreams of the father’s tormented sleep. Sometimes they feature “Eunuch Khan,” who might be some sort of stand-in for the callous officials from either country, who used their people as cannon-fodder.
If you divorce yourself from a typical viewing experience, Abest offers some absolutely stunning images. He has several long, complicated tracking shots that could rival any filmtwitter gushes over. Plus, the father’s decayed house on the border is an eerily memorable location. There are jaw-dropping parts to this film, but as a holistic whole, Eunuch Khan lacks cohesion to its radical vision. It probably represents a bit of a fall-off from his weirdly brilliant Simulation, even though Eunuch Khan is arguably quite a bit more ambitious.
Still, the macabre majesty of the film is something to behold. Abest and cinematographer Hamid Khozouie Abyane almost make viewers eyes pop out. You can also feel all the father’s pain, rage, and confusion—deeply and viscerally. The problem is Abest often leaves us a little lost and never lets us feel “found” again. Instead, he just immerses us in another dreamlike sequence.
There is much to marvel at during Eunuch Khan, but it lacks the discernable through-line necessary to deliver the sort of cinematic statement that leaves a long-term impression. The filmmaking is potent, but the storytelling is weak. Obviously, Abest was wholly consumed by the former rather than the latter. Still, this film and Simulation clearly tip Abest as a talent to watch. Eunuch Khan makes me eager to see what he does next, even though it didn’t completely connect. Recommended for those who follow unique up-and-coming auteurs, Killing the Eunuch Khan screens online through Sunday (2/6), during this year’s Slamdance.