In “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,” What’s the Significance of the Cat?
The cat is a recurring element of conceptual continuity throughout A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014). The cat is in the possession of nearly every character in the film at one point or another, and makes its way from the opening scene to the finish. While the isn’t integral to the film’s plot, it’s a reference point for the slow-weaving love story between The Girl (Sheila Vand) and Arash (Arash Marandi) that converges in the end in front of the cat’s eyes.
Filmmaker Magazine explains it as such:
“At first the cat is in the custody of the doting Arash; later someone thrusts him upon one of the Girl’s victims, after which he becomes one of her spoils of war. Arash does the math. Without ruining anything, let’s just say that the cat ends up taking pride of place, physically bridging the spiritual and physical gaps between the lovers. He is at the node of the love grid.”