THE TENNIS SHOES (2010)

The Tennis Shoes follows RB, a young tennis coach and player, who rushes to the home of his close friend Shant after learning of his sudden death. He arrives at the most intimate and painful moment of grief, as Shant’s brother Nit prepares the body according to family tradition. When RB is asked to help place Shant’s shoes on his feet, the simple act becomes unbearable. The shoes feel tight, and in the moment of force and pressure, RB is struck by the sensation that Shant may have endured pain even after death. Whether this realization is real or imagined, it plants a seed that follows RB through the church and into the cemetery, growing into an obsession he can no longer ignore.

Unable to reconcile himself with what he believes is a final injustice to his friend, RB runs back to Shant’s home and finds the tennis shoes in the closet—alongside a photograph of the two of them, frozen in a moment of shared life. He races back to the cemetery, but arrives too late: the casket is already buried. Still, RB refuses to let go, pushing the film into a quiet yet haunting space where friendship, guilt, and moral responsibility collide, even beyond death.

Shot as a student project with a DV-camera aesthetic, minimal budget, and real-life locations, the film unexpectedly draws the audience into a stark journey of metaphysical unease. Directed by Armen Sarvar, this was his first short film made in the United States, shot only weeks after his arrival—an immediacy reflected in the film’s dark, cold, and rough atmosphere. With no spoken dialogue and a persistent gloom, the film relies entirely on image and gesture. Produced through the Pasadena City College Film Program, it won the Audience Prize and Best Film, and later received Best Directing at the 3C Media Solutions Festival. At the center is a memorable performance by Arbi Markar, who fully inhabits RB—a grieving tennis player whose devotion to his partner spirals into something quietly devastating.