Ahmed Fouad Ragab
Eldar is a 21-year-old Russian film student residing in Estonia after living for 18 years in Russia as a woman. His grandmother lives in a small town in Russia. Eldar is leading a double-life hiding from her that he transitioned into a man by making his voice appear more feminine during phone calls with her, and photoshopping his pictures he sends her. After Eldar gets a call from his grandmother, who is concerned about the rumours of her granddaughter posing as a man online, Eldar decides to come to his grandmother’s birthday party to address the situation.
The Other Side of Fear signifies the actions which incite religious violence and broaden the divide of cultural and moral beliefs in society. The film shadows two clashing perspectives both of which are searching for safety in their own communities and these perspectives blend testimonies of trauma and manifestos of power. By using poetic documentation, the director acknowledges that there are more than two sides to every story and intertwines these sentiments, embodiments and experiences into one journey to understand what is happening behind the doors of communities the other hasn’t experienced.
