42/11
Tale
Investigating judge Iman struggles with paranoia amid political unrest in Tehran
When his gun goes missing, he becomes suspicious of his wife and daughters and takes drastic measures that strain family ties as social norms crumble. Director Mohammad Rasoulof was originally scheduled to attend the 2023 Cannes Film Festival as a member of the Un Certain Regard section jury. .
On May 12, 2024, Rasouloff announced that he had successfully fled Iran and was staying at an undisclosed location in Europe
However, he was arrested in July 2022 after criticizing the government’s crackdown on protesters over a deadly building collapse in the southwestern Iranian city of Abadan. On May 8, 2024, Rasouloff’s lawyer announced that he has been sentenced to eight years in prison, as well as flogging, a fine and confiscation of property. On May 24, 2024, Rasouloff attended the film’s premiere in Cannes, and on the red carpet he held up pictures of the film’s two actresses, Soheila Golestan and Missagh Zareh.
But then the story starts to fall apart
There’s a thick line between mockumentary and masterpiece, and somehow this film manages to be both. As an Iranian, I was amazed by the film and how it was shot without permission in the Iranian capital, Tehran (most of it). The plot is mostly well written, with most of the characters playing in the guise of real characters in Iran, two of which reach their final form, the women fighting the dictator…
Editing is a problem and makes the movie boring
The story and dialogues fade and become irrational just because the director pushes the dialogues to be politically correct !Rasulof is lost with his character development and yet the film is stretched for 160 minutes. It is officially the last rasulof film directed in Iran because it was banned from returning to its home country Overall, this film gives a lot to share the massage in the future of Iran because it contains the history of a certain generation (youth and teenagers). See the full lineup of the Fall 62nd New York Film Festival.