The Seed of the Sacred Fig, 2024.
Written and Directed by Mohammad Rasoulof.
Starring Misagh Zare, Soheila Golestani, Mahsa Rostami, Setareh Maleki, Niusha Akhshi, Reza Akhlaghirad, Shiva Ordooie, and Amineh Mazrouie Arani.
SYNOPSIS:
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.
Writer/director Mohammad Rasoulof was jailed for making The Seed of the Sacred Fig (although the filmmaker is no stranger to getting into trouble with Iranian law enforcement and has since been set free and fled to Germany alongside some other crewmembers.) His excellent ensemble were barred from leaving the country, with their fictional characters and plot beats attached to real-life footage of women’s rights protests and the violent backlash they faced from the police during those riots, the film has the feel of an important one.
More specifically, the kind of film pundits and critics push as an Oscar contender for embodying a major moment in current events. This one also happens to be a damn good film; it’s a riveting, nearly three-hour barnburner of scathing political commentary, shifting family dynamics, and suspenseful mystery. However, the surprise is that while politics are the catalyst for the ensuing drama, the story becomes less political the longer it goes on, reaching a third act that has more in common with The Shining than the injustices in Tehran. While the numerous story evolutions don’t come together fully, that’s also not necessarily a negative, as it is impressive how often the filmmaker shapes the film into something else without losing a grip on these complex characters.
The film follows a family that essentially has to change its entire way of living, operating more under the radar as married father Iman (Missagh Zareh) has been promoted to Revolutionary Court investigative judge. This means that he will have enemies everywhere, and there have been several incidents of these workers having their personal information leaked, making them an easier target. Naturally, this is something his daughters Rezvan (Mahsa Rostami) and Sana (Setareh Maleki) don’t understand, pushing back against their mother Najmeh (Soheila Golestani), who is going as far as insisting they stop talking to a college-bound friend, Sadaf (Niousha Akhshi.)
Roughly 21 and slightly younger, these daughters are also progressive and Westernized, supporting the recent wave of campus protests from women marching without hijabs. Meanwhile, Najmeh is conservative and looks down on that behavior, using derogatory language regarding their choice and desire to be more free and exposed. That’s one aspect of the authoritarian government under protest, which has Iman in a tough spot signing off on death sentences that he disapproves of. His willingness to fall into line without asking too many questions is what got him the job (which comes with potential future promotions and benefits), although it is visibly draining his soul, often leaving him away from his family and empty when he is home. The threats and danger against him are also so high he is forced to carry around a firearm and bring it home.
Nevertheless, the daughters and parents have clashing perspectives on society, culture, and God. Their unity will also be put to the test in a series of events, starting with Rezvan and Sana tending to a facially gunshot-wounded Sadaf, roping their nervously paranoid mother into the mix. They collectively agree to keep this hidden from Iman, although peace is fleeting as the fallout and riots continue, with political debates at the dinner table intensifying. A mystery element also comes into play, leading to psychological tricks from a professional interrogator masquerading as a cruel therapy session orchestrated by a man of the house slowly losing control and his sanity.
However, even as The Seed of the Sacred Fig gradually settles into a thriller fixated on these troubling family dynamics, political rage is still felt, if no longer overtly present. There are still one or two plot points that feel awkwardly abandoned and never brought up again, but the overwhelming tension from women slowly rising against their unreasonable, oppressive, and paranoid head of the household is explosively staged and performed, offsetting some narrative wonkiness.
It leaves one drained and enraged, ready for change. Although scarily, some of the material is more universal than people might initially realize; someone out there is probably already working on the American remake where a family erodes from the recent election, Trump-ism, and the disturbing wave of men claiming that they own women’s bodies. Who knows how that possible version will turn out. As for The Seed of the Sacred Fig, it ironically amplifies power through its willingness to drop the political aspect while channeling the aftermath into a breathtaking thriller centered on a family coming undone.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at [email protected]
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