“The Seed of the Sacred Fig” - Film Review
It is impossible to untangle the reality of the behind-the-scenes filmmaking of The Seed of the Sacred Fig from the final product. The movie is by Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof and tells the story of a family in the middle of political upheaval. While the family is fictional, the film blends its scripted narrative with actual footage of protests in Iran against the government. The Seed of the Sacred Fig was shot in secret over the course of 70 days, and when it was announced as part of the line-up of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, the cast and crew were interrogated and banned from leaving the country. Despite that, Rasoulof and other members of the film were able to escape and attend the premiere.
The Seed of the Sacred Fig is a stunning blend of reality and fiction that creates something larger than itself. Iman (Missagh Zareh) has devoted his entire life to being an honest lawyer. He takes pride in not accepting any bribes, but when Iman is selected to be a judge, he learns that his role is to simply sign off on the orders of his superiors. He is expected to approve death sentences without even reading the cases. This new career creates strife within the family as his two daughters, Rezvan (Mahsa Rostami) and Sana (Setareh Maleki), are becoming more rebellious against the government. The Seed of the Sacred Fig is a tense family drama that speaks to a larger fight that’s unfolding across the country.
courtesy of TIFF
The film gets its name from a type of fig that wraps itself around another tree to grow, strangling the tree in the process. Symbolically, this is seen as a critique of the current Iranian government that is strangling its own people instead of letting them grow. For most of The Seed of the Sacred Fig’s runtime, the film feels stifling because of its ability to allow the audience to see the reality that many people are enduring on a daily basis. It’s a taut, paranoid, political thriller that’s urgent in our contemporary society. The film only loses its steam at the end when the cat-and-mouse aspect of The Seed of the Sacred Fig becomes literal. It’s a small blemish on what is an otherwise miraculous feat of filmmaking that shows the artform’s ability at its most political and angry.
The sheer existence of The Seed of the Sacred Fig is astounding. It’s an act of rebellion from those who are actively being oppressed. The Seed of the Sacred Fig is courageous and timely, proof that moviemaking is a political act with power that can be wielded to make meaningful change.
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