The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Exceptional film. It portrays the unconscionable acts that servants of a totalitarian state must endure to retain a sense of stability in their lives. Beautifully filmed in places like the streets of Tehran and the ancient ruins in the country.

"The Seed of the Sacred Fig" is an extraordinarily brave film that depicts in the most stark manner the oppression whom the people of Iran are suffering at the hands of a brutal theocracy. Families are torn apart in a climate of suspicion, distrust, and fear is in this truly urgent gripping film. A patriarch in every sense, Iman (Misagh Zare) is an ambitious middle-class lawyer working for the Iranian government. He has just been promoted to state investigator — the stepping stone to becoming a revolutionary court judge — and, alongside an increase in income and social cachet, his family has received clear instructions on what is required of them as Iman’s star rises in the eyes of the state. His wife (played by actress and activist Soheila Golestani) and adolescent daughters (the scene-stealing Setareh Maleki and Mahsa Rostami) must fall in line. Outside the home, the streets are alight with protests, depicted through real-life footage of the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement that exploded following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in 2022 while in police custody after being arrested for allegedly improperly wearing a hijab. Soon, Iman understands his role — rubber-stamping death-penalty judgments against activists without giving due process (which, on the ground, has resulted in the deaths of hundreds). As Iman becomes more entrenched in his work, he grows increasingly at odds with his own family. What follows is a social drama–turned–cat-and-mouse thriller that will have you at the edge of your seat. Filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof (who wrote Son-Mother), has fled Iran, where the film was made in secret, after receiving an eight-year prison sentence, including whipping, as his revolutionary art is perceived to represent crimes against the country’s security.

The main narrative’s bizarre, lurching steps from stability towards a situation totally implausible at the outset might be an artifact of poor plotting were it not such a perfect analogue to the reality of Iran. The use of real footage of intense violence makes this a tough watch, but it is a film that deserves to be experienced.

Gosto do ritmo e da construção dos personagens, as quase 3h não são sentidas pela história interessante e de como ainda mistura alguns vídeos amadores reais, para dar a real dimensão do clima turbulento de Teerã. Aqui a tensão vai ficando cada vez mais sufocante pelo intimismo da coisa toda, com as desconfiança e conflitos apertando no próprio seio familiar. Contudo, o terço final ficou artificial demais, é como se transformassem toda aquela construção imagética em peças de xadrez manipuláveis, até mesmo as atuações caíram. Aquela perseguição robótica no jogo de caça ficou bem ruim. Quase o filme vai para o ralo, mas ainda dá pra salvar algo dali.

At its heart, the Seed of the Sacred Fig it's about a Muslim family that spirals into dysfunction and chaos during political riots in Tehran. Yet, with the heavy focus on those riots and the way the film ends... it's telling entirely the wrong story. CONTINUE READING ON LETTERBOXD: ****/8JdzZN