Tara Aghdashloo is a filmmaker who doesn’t shout her stories at you – she cleverly draws you closer until you’re completely immersed. In ‘Empty Your Pockets‘, which she wrote/directed, her observational-style drama pulls us into the claustrophobic world of Hassan, a customs officer juggling the pressures of his soul-crushing job and his devotion to his ailing mother. Aghdashloo’s direction lets the quiet moments do the heavy lifting. Her work has a naturalism that feels so real, it’s like you’ve stumbled into someone else’s life and can’t look away.

What makes this film in particular stand out is her ability to make the ordinary feel profound. On the surface, ‘Empty Your Pockets’ is about a guy working at airport baggage security, but Aghdashloo weaves in layers of humor, heartbreak, and humanity. The dialogue is sharp but understated, the kind of writing that reveals character without announcing itself. Hassan is such a beautifully drawn character – he’s dutiful, tender, but clearly suffocating under the pressures of his job and his colleagues’ callousness. You can’t help but root for him, even as you feel the crushing inevitability of his situation. Aghdashloo doesn’t romanticize his life, but she captures it with such warmth and honesty that you’re completely hooked.

Aghdashloo skill is her restraint. She doesn’t spoon-feed the audience or force drama where it doesn’t belong. Instead, she trusts us to lean in, to connect the dots, to feel the weight of Hassan’s world. It’s rare to find a filmmaker who can make a story this small feel this big – she’s undoubtedly a filmmaker to watch and a voice destined to leave a lasting mark in film.