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Summary Investigating judge Iman grapples with paranoia amid political unrest in Tehran. When his gun vanishes, he suspects his wife and daughters, imposing draconian measures that strain family ties as societal rules crumble.
Directed By: Mohammad Rasoulof
Written By: Mohammad Rasoulof
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
7.8
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Summary Investigating judge Iman grapples with paranoia amid political unrest in Tehran. When his gun vanishes, he suspects his wife and daughters, imposing draconian measures that strain family ties as societal rules crumble.
Directed By: Mohammad Rasoulof
Written By: Mohammad Rasoulof
Where to Watch
Coming Soon
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 30 Critic Reviews
84
93% Positive
28 Reviews
28 Reviews
7% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 30 Critic Reviews
84
93% Positive
28 Reviews
28 Reviews
7% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
May 28, 2024
The film itself is a mesmerisingly gripping and controlled parable-thriller in which the paranoia, misogyny and rage of the Iranian state are mapped seamlessly onto an ordinary family unit.
Jan 10, 2025
It plays out like that rare piece of art capable of capturing the individual agency inherent in both resistance and compliance. An entire history of oppression isn’t needed here – that is beyond the scope of any one film and a waste of this one.
By Noel Ransome FULL REVIEW
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 52 User Ratings
7.8
85% Positive
44 Ratings
44 Ratings
6% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
10% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 52 User Ratings
7.8
85% Positive
44 Ratings
44 Ratings
6% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
10% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
Feb 10, 2025
El Estado y la familia ambos espacios se retroalimentan como atrapados en un juego de espejos en esta película.
Report
Sep 9, 2024
The transition of tones is subtle - you don't realize you're watching a horror movie until it's too late.
Nov 27, 2024
Rasoulof gets terrific performances from all of his cast, but particularly noteworthy is Sohelia Golestani's work as Najmeh, which captures the woman's subtle, gradual transition from defender of her husband to an ally of her daughters.
Feb 5, 2025
Understated performances and unflashy filmmaking coalesce into an absorbing mixture of the personal and the political. It may take its time but, given the circumstances of its making, this is an extraordinary achievement.
Dec 12, 2024
The film is, as a result, a portrait of how Rasoulof perceives the systematic oppression within his home country, from which he is now exiled. The government’s rejection of its citizens’ efforts for change is personal to him—as devastating and painful, the film suggests, as having a father turn against his own flesh and blood.
Aug 19, 2024
Rasoulof knows a much more challenging and incomprehensible reality than many of us ever will, but it’s missing from the straightforward obviousness of The Seed of the Sacred Fig.
Dec 18, 2024
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.
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Nov 29, 2024
"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.
Report
Mar 11, 2025
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.
Report
Feb 22, 2025
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.
Report
Feb 5, 2025
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
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Production Company
- Run Way Pictures
- Parallel45
- Arte France Cinéma
- Arte France
- Film Boutique
- Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein
- L'Aide aux cinémas du monde
- Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC)
- Institut français
Release Date Nov 27, 2024
Duration 2 h 48 m
Rating PG-13
Awards
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Nomination
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
Cannes Film Festival
• 5 Wins & 6 Nominations
