Wardeh Deesheh

Wardeh Deesheh (transl. Trampled Flowers or Crushed Flowers), also spelled Warde Deeshe and Warde Deshe (Syriac: ܘܪ̈ܕܐ ܕܝ݂ܫ̈ܐ), is a 1991 Assyrian neo-Aramaic-language, Australian independent film written and directed by John Homeh. A straight to video romantic-drama film with musical and comedy elements, it primarily focuses on the love triangle between Nineb (George Homeh), Nineveh and Nina (Juliana Jendo, in a dual role) within an allegorical narrative.^[1]

The film is about the love triangle between Nineb, a man from the Assyrian homeland, Nineveh, a traditional and modest woman living there among him in the homeland, and Nina, a westernised, modern Assyrian woman living in Australia. After Nineb immigrates to Australia, he ignores Nineveh's romantic pleas for him, as he becomes progressively infatuated by Nina, who strikingly resembles Nineveh, to Nineb's surprise and beguilement, where he ultimately faces a direful dilemma over the two.^[1]

In the meantime, Nineb experiences familial problems as he interacts with his generous brother Sargon, his emotionally abusive sister-in-law Suzy and Nina's avaricious father David, in suburban Sydney. Concurrently, Nineb struggles with homesickness due to culture shock after resettling in a new country. In the final scene, Nineb makes a choice between Nina and Nineveh.^[1]

Allegorically, Nineb's love for Nineveh symbolises the Assyrian's yearning for the homeland and his love for Nina represents the desire for a prosperous lifestyle in the Assyrian diaspora in the west. According to Homeh, the reason why Nineb chose Nineveh and flew back to Nineveh in the final scene was because, in his view, Assyrians as peoples belong in Assyria. Like Nineb, many Assyrian immigrants face depression, culture shock, economic disturbance and homesickness as they resettle in the west.^[1]

According to the director John Homeh in a 2020 interview,^[2] the rape scene of Nina is a metaphor for the attack and raping of the Assyrian diaspora's existence. Nina's sexual assault terminates her relationship with Nineb due to shame, which thereby symbolises the death of the Assyrian cause in the future, in the diaspora. Thereafter, Nineb realises he has no future being away from Nineveh and must return to his homeland to be with his first love Nineveh, who is a symbolic personification of the Assyrian city Nineveh.^[1]

Juliana Jendo has a 1993 album Wardeh Deesheh titled after the film, which features the songs from the film such as Bereethan, Le Shoqinakh (featuring George Homeh) and Wardeh Deesheh.^[3][4]

Further, Ya Atoraya, Ya Atoureta (Ninwetee) is a memorable duet performed by Nineb and Nineveh (Homeh and Jendo), where the two avow their love for another on an electric boat in the Sydney Harbour.^[1] The song is featured on Homeh's 1991 album, Ktawa.^[5]

Additional background music includes Concierto De Aranjuez by Joaquín Rodrigo and Solenzara by Enrico Macias.

• George Homeh as Nineb
• Juliana Jendo as Nina/Nineveh (dual role)
• Lydia Bennett as Suzy
• George Slivo as Enkidu
• Yonia Slewo as Asmar
• Wilson Youmaran as Sargon
• Awrahim Khanu as David
• Rita Homeh as Cathy
• Sargon Mama as Yonatan
• Toris Yako as the Mother
• Margarette David as Khana
• Shlemon Askaroo as Zaia
• Ramzi Bazi as the Doctor

• Wardeh Deesheh on YouTube