Film Review: The Seed of The Sacred Fig [SCREENSPHERE]

A contender for film of the year, The Seed of The Sacred Fig follows a family living in Tehran. Iman (Missagh Zareh), the traditional patriarch, has a secretive government job which deeply wracks his conscience at night. Meanwhile, his wife, Namjeh (Soheila Golestani), supports Iman’s career and wants only the best for her two rebellious daughters, Rezvan (Mahsa Rostami) and Sana (Setareh Maleki).

The daughters are radicalised after watching videos on social media and attending protests for women’s rights. Family arguments about the morals of the Iranian regime only heightens tensions with their father whose own grip on power begins to slip from his fingers. Ahead of the world premiere at Cannes Film Festival, director Mohammad Rasoulof, was sentenced to flogging, six years in prison and fined by the theocratic regime of Iran. Rasoulof is no stranger to pressure from the Iranian government and has previously been fined, intimidated and arrested for making films which were considered “propaganda against the system”.

It is easy to see why Iranian officials would not like this film as it is a clear allegory for the government control of information and suppression of women’s rights. With this film and the subsequent backlash, Rasoulof shows us just how desperate powerful people become when they feel a threat to their position. 

The plot of the film is centred around a gun, which Iman is given by his employer in case he needs to keep himself or his family safe. When the gun goes missing from a bedside drawer, suspicions drive a wedge between the family, who have to flee Tehran after their father’s home address is leaked online. The tension that builds as the family speculate where the gun could be fills this film with an anxiety that will not be relieved until the final credits role.

Social media also plays a pivotal role in The Seed of The Sacred Fig. The audience, much like Rezvan and Sana, only see the ongoing suppression of Iranian women through video clips posted online. In relation to recent events, this now seems a utopian prospect but serves to remind us just how powerful social media can be as a form of citizen journalism. Social media is the tool that brought about the Arab Spring, showed the injustice of the Grenfell fire and continues to show us a reality sometimes obscured by traditional news media.

Mohammad Rasoulof, and many other Iranian filmmakers such as Abbas Kiarostami, Asghar Farhadi and Jafar Panahi are doing excellent work. Their films and the personal life consequences they have endured, show us just what life is truly like living under an oppressive government. Leeds International Film Festival is running from November 1 – 17. For more up to date coverage be sure to follow Screensphere on X and Instagram.

Article originally published 16/11/2024 on Screensphere and can be found here.