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.

‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’ is a remarkable movie in many respects, not least because it was made in secret while director Mohammad Rasoulof was under threat of a prison sentence from the Iranian authorities. It is perhaps no surprise in such an authoritarian society that Rasoulof would be under such threat, given the content of this movie shines a bright light on what it is like to live in modern day Iran under its current rulers, and is unsparing in who it is focusing on. Against this backdrop, there have been some fabulous movies that have came out of Iran over the past 20+ years, with filmmakers risking their lives to tell these important stories. ‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’ is another one of them, and it has deservedly received an Oscar nomination in the Best International Feature Film category.

The plot of the movie centres on an Iranian family who find themselves at odds with each other against the backdrop of the 2022-23 protests that kicked off after the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody. Iman (Missagh Zareh) is an investigating judge who has just received a promotion, or so he thinks, that will enable his family to move into a more comfortable apartment and live a higher quality of life. His wife Najmeh (Soheila Golestani) and teenage daughters Rezvan (Mahsa Rostami) and Sana (Setareh Maleki) are happy to be living in more comfortable surroundings, but as they learn more about the protests, the daughters challenge their father at dinner as he attempts to defend the actions of the state. As the protests intensify and Iman’s gun goes missing, Najmeh finds herself caught between her increasingly angry daughters, and an increasingly anxious and paranoid Iman, who sees a threat at every corner.

Rasoulof skilfully weaves in real life events (including some horrific footage) to the fictional drama, and that helps provide some context to how the core characters are acting, in an environment where fear and paranoia pervade every interaction. The performances are very good, and I thought the writing was sharp and informative, supporting some terrific scenes (the aforementioned dinner scene being a standout). The movie runs for nearly 3 hours but it never lags, but I do have a criticism and it’s with the final act, which I felt was frankly a little silly and goes in too hard on a thriller angle that feels at odds with what went before. Although, I suspect you could argue it is the natural end result when you become so paranoid and suspicious of everyone and everything in society.

Iran is a particularly interesting country because it had more freedom in the past and by all accounts, many people, particularly young people, in Iran, are crying out for a democratic future. Filmmakers like Mohammad Rasoulof are important in showing the world what life is really like for ordinary Iranian citizens, and that the chaos caused by their authoritarian leadership at home and beyond is not supported by the majority of the people. ‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’ is a fascinating exploration of how a society can crumble when the state puts pressure on ordinary citizens to inform and be suspicious of one another, and this is a very good, nearly great film that explores a society going through this oppression as we speak.

Rating: 4/5

Directed By: Mohammad Rasoulof

Starring: Soheila Golestani, Missagh Zareh, Mahsa Rostami, Setareh Maleki, Niousha Akhshi, Amineh Mazrouie Arani, Reza Akhlaghirad and Shiva Ordooie

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt32178949/