DHET!

DHET! 🛵 ধ্যাৎ! 

One of the six short films showcased at Fantasia Film Festival’s (SOLD OUT!) Things That Go Bump in the East 2025 selection was the North American premiere of director Ummid Ashraf’s ‘DHET!’

DHET! is mentioned in the film as meaning ‘a guttural expression of annoyance or contempt,’ and if you were having the night this man was having, I’m sure you and I would say the same, or worse. This story follows a ride-sharing motorcyclist in the middle of the night who is trying to pick up his last passenger but finds himself stuck in an infinitely looping bridge with no end in sight.

I’m sure there are a million ways you could interpret this film, but for me it felt like the overwhelming weight of living what feels like the same day over and over again with no clear direction as to when it’ll end or if there even is one at all. That cycle of a repetitive life spirals into a void where this man must break through the mental fatigue and take control of what he’s lost, which in this case seems to be his own self-worth.

It’s easy to chalk this up to simply being a story about a delivery man, but there are so many different industries where people are chasing the approval of others, whether it be five-star ratings, accommodations, subscribers, or followers, and people try their best to deliver for an audience when, at times, the work they put in that the masses don’t see can be unforgiving.

Being at the mercy of the customer while trying to maximize your earnings and the exhaustion that brings is mercilessly brought to life by the tireless performance of Ashabul Yamin Riad, which, when paired with the visual prowess of cinematographer Xoaher Musavvir Jyoti, immediately transports you to the nightlifeof Bangladesh in a way not many short films are capable of capturing to this degree of quality.

On the surface this is a story about a man exhausted by a long day’s work, but if you dig deeper you’ll find a nightmarish void that pulls a workaholic into a pit of despair as he tries not to submit to the existential dread of life. 

Enjoy!

7.8/10 🍿 🎥

Runtime: 9mins

Where: The 2025 Fantasia Film Festival.

DHET! Review (2025) The Richmond Reviewer - August 4th, 2025.

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