Direction: Asghar Farhadi
Country: Iran
A simple and efficient storytelling opposes to shifting complex emotions in this new drama film by the celebrated Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi (A Separation, 2011; The Salesman, 2016). His ninth feature won the prestigious Palme D’Or in Cannes, marking a return to top form and to his Iran after an unimpressive experience in Spain with Everybody Knows (2018).
The protagonist here is Rahim Soltani (Amir Jadidi), an honest sign painter and calligrapher who was imprisoned for debt after being double-crossed by a business partner. During a two-day leave, he becomes in possession of a lost bag with gold coins that can easily pay his debt and free him from prison. But Rahim is too honest for that, and decides to return the bag to the owner. Through this pure act of selflessness, he expects to be forgiven and start a new life with the woman he loves, Farkhondeh (Sahar Goldoost). Lamentably, nothing goes as planned.
While following Rahim’s dramatic journey, we are plunged into a personal meditation on morality and psychological societal mechanisms permeated by fake news and conspiration. Farhadi's style is direct, realist and sympathetic, and the film, bolstered by an instinctively fluid camerawork, is acted with rigor and intelligence. In his first collaboration with the distinguished director, Jadidi was able to convey the controlled panic of a person who lost face in a society that is implacably quick to judge. All in all, it's so easy to turn honesty into humiliation.
As a shattering experience that doesn't stint on uncomfortable scenes, A Hero is another impeccable entry in Farhadi’s rich catalogue of timeless contemporary classics.
