RSS

Review: The Seed of the Sacred Fig

— by BEV QUESTAD —

Secretly filmed in Iran, a dire intermix of state and religion is the threatening backdrop of the film’s story as well as the true-life, nerve-wracking environment for the film crew.

Once a state is regarded as a manifestation of God’s will, laws, rules, and regulations become immutable mandates from God. Those who question or criticize are at risk of a flogging and incarceration. Mohammad Rasoulof, director, writer, and producer, had been imprisoned before, and he had been prohibited from filming again.

By the completion of filming in Iran, Rasoulof was informed that yet another arrest was imminent. He had two hours to submit or escape. He chose the latter, leaving behind all his technical equipment. After 28 days on the run, he was safe in Germany where he put the secreted footage through post-production, finishing in time for the Cannes Film Festival. It won five awards and was selected for the Oscar Short List as Germany’s entry for Best Foreign Film. It’s going to be hard to beat.

“The Seed of the Sacred Fig” is about a family of four whose husband/father, Iman, has just been promoted to investigator. The next step is judge, a position that will award them a lovely three-bedroom government home and tremendous social status. But Iman, though deeply religious, is asked to sign an indictment for the death penalty for someone without conducting an investigation or being given the papers detailing the accusation. His moral conflict and worrisome transformation begin.

Remember the 2022 incident when a woman, Mahsa Amini, was arrested for not suitably wearing a headscarf? In her detainment, which was recorded, she stood up, collapsed and died. The government said she had a heart attack, but many Iranians blamed the government for her death.

Great riots occurred in the streets and female students took off their hajibs, waving them in the air. People were cruelly and randomly clubbed and gunned with buckshot. Many were arrested without trial and put in prison. Hundreds were killed. Rasoulof skillfully incorporates archival footage of this as he has Resvan, Iman’s daughter, explain that her best friend has been beaten in the melee and then jailed. Can her father do something?
But dominating her father’s distracted consciousness is that his gun is missing.

Part of the intrigue is figuring out the metaphor of the title. The truth certainly comes from evidence in the film, but Mohammad Rasoulof’s masterful writing of moral dilemmas, like in his “A Man of Integrity,” can also be legitimately interpreted to produce several options, each rich with revolutionary possibilities.

Presented in Farsi with English subtitles, my insatiable curiosity about this movie includes a desire to know what the reactions to this forbidden film, surely available on the black market, will be in Iran. Will it embolden women to rise once again?

Brilliantly written, perfectly acted and powerfully directed, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” is a gem in its allegorical commentary on life in Iran and the oppression of its citizens as well as a warning, à la George Orwell, on the dangers of a totalitarian regime.

10/10



Credits

Director: Mohammad Rasoulof
Writer: Mohammad Rasoulof
Producers: Mohammad Rasoulof, Rozita Hendijanian, Amin Sadraei, Jean-Christophe Simon and Mani Tilgner
Cast: Soheila Golestani, Missagh Zareh, Mahsa Rostami, Setareh Maleki, Niousha Akhshi and Amineh Arani
Cinematography: Pooyan Aghababaei
Editor: Andrew Bird
Music: Karzan Mahmood
Release: May 24, 2024 (Cannes), Nov. 27, 2024 (US-limited)
How to see: https://neonrated.com/films/the-seed-of-the-sacred-fig

. . .

Join us on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/itsjustmovies!



Comments are closed.