The Seed of the Sacred Fig

[MsAmerica]

Went to see The Seed of the Sacred Fig, by a dissident writer/director I've never heard of, Mohammad Rasoulof, and I was impressed enough to want to recommend it. It begins with a disclaimer of "This film was made in secret," and he has indeed fled Iran.

In an Iranian family, hoping to be upwardly mobile, the father is an investigative judge who has been promoted. This is potentially exciting--not only a higher salary but a gateway to better housing. One downside, though, as the mother immediately warns the two teen daughters, is that they have to be very circumspect, very proper, very cautious; they have to wear their headscarves, they can't post pictures online, etc. Naturally, the girls balk. At the same time, the father is soon disillusioned, not just because of the pressure of the workload, but the pressure to approve judgments and sentences that may be unjust. Things become tense with the anti-government street protests, and the girls even rescue a friend who was assaulted by the police, as the mother tries to hold things together.

This reminds me of the films of Asghar Farhadi (A Separation and A Hero) where the story starts off with a ordinary people in an ordinary situation, but things gradually spiral out of control beyond anything that could have been imagined. Very good, very tense. And I'm thinking that often these Iranian films seem more complexly human than standard Hollywood films.

Making a Movie in Secret, and Living With the Repercussions
https://www.vulture.com/article/mohammad-rasoulof-on-making-seed-of-the-sacred-fig-in-secret.html

Thank you, I love the films of Farhadi, seen quite a few of them and agree he does emotional complexity extremely well. I had clocked this film and it reminded me of Farhadi so it's good to know that that's the case. I was thinking of seeing it but we saw a film last night - Bring Them Down, very harrowing Irish film that has left me not wanting to see anything at all for a while, it had so much violence in it I'm feeling a bit traumatised.
You might just have encouraged me to get back into the cinema seat sooner rather than later!

How nice. Thank you for your kind reply.

I agree and love Iranian films.

The Seed of the Secret Fig was a brilliant film and so tense! But I guess until this terrible regime is ousted live for all women will be brutal - I hope they wont have to wait another 40 years (women, life freedom hopefully one day soon).

Sadly, I had such hopes for Iranian women a few years ago.

Thanks for recommending- will try and see

Watched this today and it was really absorbing, chilling. Loved the mum and daughter relationships.

I thought the scenes where the mum was taking care of the husband and the injured girl were very moving.

A film I'll think about for a while.

On a very sad note, Soheila Golestani (the actress who plays the mother) is awaiting sentence for playing the role. The Times reported as a possibility a year in prison and 74 lashes!

Oh no 😞

That's a horrible reminder of how dangerous things can be elsewhere in situations where we wouldn't think twice about it.

This is interesting. This print article had the original title of the first line. But when it went online, it was given the tamer title of the second line.

In Collective Civil Disobedience, Iranian Filmmakers Show Real Life at Last
A New Age of Iranian Cinema Is on Display at the Oscars

“The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” an Oscar-nominated movie filmed in secret in Iran, highlights the Iranian film world’s groundbreaking new work, inspired by the women-led protests in 2022.
By Farnaz Fassihi

Mr. Rasoulof made the movie without the required governmental approval and licensing, and filmed it in secret. Like all of the daring Iranian films made underground in the last few years, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” could not be released in Iran and instead was distributed internationally...

Iran’s Revolutionary Court has opened a new criminal case against Mr. Rasoulof, his cast and some members of his crew, charging that the film threatens Iran’s national security and spreads indecency. But he said everyone involved agreed that the risk was worthwhile. Most of the film’s main cast members have now left Iran, except the leading actress, Soheila Golestani, who is the only one still in the country facing trial in person...

"My Favorite Cake" explores a theme in a daring way not seen in Iranian cinema since the revolution. A man and woman, in their 70s and burdened with loneliness, spend one impromptu romantic night together. They drink wine, dance and discuss sex and their insecurities about stripping bare. In one scene the lead actress, Lili Farhadpour, sprays perfume under her skirt, anticipating sexual intimacy... She and her husband wrote the screenplay two years before the women-led protests that catalyzed so many other directors. Their film has since been screened around the world and has won 17 international prizes, including the jury prize at Berlin International Film Festival and the new director competition at the Chicago International Film Festival. Like Mr. Rasoulof, they, too, face charges related to national security and spreading indecency in Revolutionary Court that could result to years in prison, and have been barred from leaving the country, working or teaching, they said.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/01/world/middleeast/iran-oscars-new-era.html

@MsAmerica thank you for the link.

I have not heard any further updates on Soheila Gostrani - I still think of this film!