What It’s About
The soul-crushing effects of state-sponsored killing in Iran is explored via four separate vignettes: first, we watch ordinary family man Hashmat (Mirhosseini) go through his daily routine, only to be surprised when we learn how he makes his living. In the second segment, young conscript Pouya (Ahangar) tries desperately to avoid his assignment to preside over a hanging. Next, Javad (Valizadegan), another soldier, goes on leave to propose to girlfriend Nana (Servati), but a tragic coincidence threatens their union. Finally, Darya (Rasoulof, the director’s daughter) visits older relatives forced into exile in a remote location, where painful memories surface.
Why We Love It
Winner of the prestigious “Golden Bear” Prize at the Berlin Film Festival, for the most part this damning indictment of Iran’s murderous regime avoids high drama to achieve its effect. Instead director Rasoulof presents four unadorned stories of regular human beings trying to survive in a society largely devoid of humanity. Though deceptively simple and distinct from each other, each tale reinforces the horror of this predicament, forcing us to confront the insidious ways in which evil can, and does, exist among us.