Dir: Mohammad Rasoulof. With Mahsa Rostami, Setareh Maleki, Niousha Akhshi, Missagh Zareh, Soheila Golestani, Iran-Germany-France 2024. 168 mins. Farsi with English subtitles.
Lawyer Iman (Missagh Zareh) is initially pleased to receive a promotion to the position of state investigator in Tehran. His wife and two teenage daughters are proud of him, he gets a pay rise and more luxurious accommodation, and the role itself carries a level of prestige. However, the role is more complicated than he initially thought and it’s not long before it brings him into conflict with his own beliefs, and threatens his relationship with his daughters. The tensions escalate when a wave of anti-hijab protests break out across the city and the family’s generational divide becomes even more stark. What begins as a politically-tinged domestic drama develops into something much more action-oriented, told with real bravery and defiance.
Winner of several awards at this year’s Cannes – where it also topped the influential Screen International jury grid – the film was shot entirely in secret in Iran. Director Mohammad Rasoulof was later forced to flee the country after being sentenced to eight years in prison and flogging. Now living in exile in Europe, Rasoulof depicts his home country on screen with a fervour borne out of personal experience.
