10/45
Investigative judge Iman struggles with paranoia during the political unrest in Tehran
When his gun goes missing, he suspects his wife and daughters and imposes draconian measures that strain family bonds as social norms crumble. Director Mohammad Rasoulof was originally scheduled to serve as a member of the Un Certain Regard jury at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. However, he was arrested in July 2022 after criticizing the government’s crackdown on protesters in the southwestern Iranian city of Abadan following a deadly building collapse. On May 8, 2024, Rasouloff’s lawyer announced that he had been sentenced to eight years in prison, along with caning, a fine, and confiscation of his assets. On May 12, 2024, Rasouloff announced that he had managed to escape Iran and was in an undisclosed location in Europe.
Children think differently
On May 24, 2024, Rasouloff attended the film’s premiere in Cannes, and on the red carpet, he presented photos of the film’s two actors, Soheila Golestani and Missagh Zareh: Does Sana want blue hair? Painted nails? Why? Najmeh: The world has changed. Iman: The world has changed, but God has not.
Neither have his laws
Najmeh: We have to teach them. Iman: Always… Headlines: “The Ficus Religiosa is a tree with an unusual life cycle. Its seeds fall to other trees in bird droppings. The aerial roots emerge and grow to the floor.
Then the branches
wrap around the host tree and strangle it, and eventually the sacred fig stands its ground.” Probably the most courageous film of the year, and one that probably won’t make anyone who watches it cry. Ideological and religious blindness is crowding out basic human values. The seed has been planted, and while many more lives may be lost along the way, new generations will ensure that the torch is carried forward. Fiction is very organically intertwined with reality, and Rasoulof makes another great film, his best yet, with a very interesting paranoid thriller. Perhaps his last film on Iranian soil?
Mahsa Rostami, you’ll be a star!
It doesn’t matter: the seeds he sows are everything, and the message reaches his audience. PS.: At a time when we’re talking about Oscar winners Ariana Grande or Zoe Saldaña, it’s hard not to regret what Hollywood, the Academy, and the American public in general have become. This film alone features at least two excellent supporting roles.
