“The acting, writing and direction are all high quality, particularly … It’s hard to critique sets and lighting when this was shot on the fly and in secret. It’s hard to know of any other films which are living and breathing their own values and running from the very antagonist they are critiquing. For this alone, this is as worthy as film can be, while still telling story upon story“
Con Nats
4.5 hijabs
The sacred fig seed is transported by birds, it grows on a host tree and eventually strangles it. It’s a telling metaphor for how theocrasy strangles the populace in this powerful drama set in Iran.
Iman (Missagh Zareh) has just got the promotion he always wanted to be an investigating judge on the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. He is troubled that his first file is 200 pages thick and he has to decide if the accused should be given the death penalty without reviewing the file properly. This promotion will mean a better salary and bigger house. It also means he needs to be anonymous and his family must be loyal. His children can no longer even like anything on social media that contradicts the government. It’s tricky because he has two daughters, Rezvan (Mahsa Rostami) and Sana (Setareh Maleki) who are coming of age. In the middle is the loyal mother Najmeh (Soheila Golestani), who acts as a fulcrum between their views. Her loyalty is to family and Allah, but their world is suddenly consumed by the conflict. The girl’s friend, Sadaf (Niousha Akhshi) is shot in the face during protests against the hijab. If she goes to hospital, she will be arrested, not receive treatment and probably die. They try to keep it secret but their differences start to tear at Najmeh.
The next twist is when Iman’s gun goes missing. It is obvious one of his family have taken it but none of them will confess. He asks a family friend to interrogate them, bringing distrust into the home. The stakes are high. Confessing to losing a weapon could lead him to prison and an end to his career. Another phenomenon was the doxing happening on social media, where employees of the council have their personal details published on social media. Iman decides to flee to his old family home where the weak bonds holding his family together start to fray.
Mohammed Rasoulof has written and directed this highly charged political drama that acutely captures the conflicts in Iran. By focusing his script on a family he shows how stifling old religious rules are impacting young spirited women in theocrasies like Iran. It also highlights how women are actually fighting back with real footage from the protests over the death in custody of Mahsa Amini integrated into the film, which had to be shot in secret and a few days at a time.
If you want to talk about suffering for your art, Rasolof has been jailed for propaganda against the government for previous work and was sentenced to eight years in prison, a flogging and his properties were confiscated for making this film. He fled on foot to Europe
and found refuge in Germany who helped him finish it. It was worth it, winning the 2024 Cannes Jury prize and was nominated for many international film awards. It is Germany’s nomination for Best International film at the Academy awards this year and will be a far more deserving film than the predicted winner. Films with strong political hearts have the problem of being didactic in their approach and messaging. By setting this story around this particular family, Rasoulof has tried to avoid making it heavy handed.
Films such as this can hold oppressive regimes to international scrutiny. It can help galvanise those within the country and give a broader perspective. This is what art should do and when it is at its most potent. But to capture attention it must be done well and not leave the audience battered by its messaging. Rasoulof has avoided this. This film is as much about the coming of age of two young women as it is about the Iranian government.
The acting, writing and direction are all high quality, particularly Golestani as the conflicted mother. It’s hard to critique sets and lighting when this was shot on the fly and in secret. It’s hard to know of any other films which are living and breathing their own values and running from the very antagonist they are critiquing. For this alone, this is as worthy as film can be, while still telling story upon story.
Con Nats, On The Screen
