Film Review: THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG (2024): Mohammad Rasoulof’s Tense Political Thriller Will Hold the Viewer’s Attention Throughout
The Seed of the Sacred Fig Review
The Seed of the Sacred Fig (2024) Film Review, a movie written and directed by Mohammad Rasoulof and starring Missagh Zareh, Soheila Golestani, Mahsa Rostami, Setareh Maleki, Niousha Akhshi, Reza Akhlaghirad, Shiva Ordooie and Amineh Mazrouie Arani.
Mohammad Rasoulof’s nerve-wracking political thriller, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, has a backstory that plays like an intense movie in and of itself. Rasoulof, who has gone against Iranian censorship practices, secretly shot the film in Iran and somehow got the movie to Europe where it was completed. There’s much more to the story but this review is not about the real-life background events behind the making of the picture but rather an analysis of the movie itself. This final picture is, for the most part, an absolutely astonishing film that is only undermined slightly by its last-minute plot revelations which feel a bit disappointing in some minor respects. However, getting there is one very thought-provoking and powerful experience with several performances that stand out as some of the best of the year in film.
Missagh Zareh stars in The Seed of the Sacred Fig as Iman, the head of a household and a lawyer who has been promoted to an “investigative judge” in Tehran. Iman wants the best for his wife, Najmeh (the great Soheila Golestani) and their daughters, Rezvan (Mahsa Rostami) and Sana (Setareh Maleki). This is a promotion that may allow the young girls to get their own bedrooms as they currently sleep in the same room. Because of the sensitivity of Iman’s job, Najmeh tells her daughters they must respect the delicate situation and lead as private lives as possible. Iman’s role is such an important position that it could lead to danger and he is presented with a handgun for safety purposes.
Things begin to get complicated when a friend of the girls in college named Sadaf (Niousha Akhshi) is shot during a demonstration. Najmeh takes sympathy upon the girl and tries her best to help her daughters tend to Sadaf’s wounds. Sadaf’s life is forever altered and things get worse when she is arrested. Iman is initially not aware of the situation surrounding Sadaf.
Furthermore, when the gun in Iman’s household disappears, a tense rivalry starts to formulate between Iman and his family members as he starts to suspect that, possibly, someone in his family is responsible for the situation regarding the missing weapon. There are already political differences between the children and their parents which make the household situation a volatile one. This missing gun will jeopardize Iman’s career if its whereabouts are not soon discovered.
Soon, the action moves to an abandoned old home where the truth will be revealed and the bond between family members will be tested. There is plenty of nerve-wracking intensity in this film. One intriguing film-making choice is the one that dresses Sana in a light Mickey Mouse sweat jacket that also features other cartoon characters. This clothing choice may be to express her innocence in her fight for peace and justice in a situation where things are seemingly complex and irrational. Sana is eventually forced to use her wits to survive under extreme circumstances.
Soheila Golestani’s performance (as Najmeh) is the most wrenching one in the film. Golestani’s work is, at once, stellar and heartbreaking. She’s certainly deserving of serious award considerations. Najmeh knows what needs to be done for the family to maintain its own sense of purpose as a unit but the children are more interested in the truth than in allowing what injustices may have to happen for the family to function successfully as whole to occur. There are complicated issues that director Mohammad Rasoulof lays out for the audience one step at a time. One such complication is how the local laws seem to infringe on women’s rights. In fact, saying that is certainly an understatement.
It is Missagh Zareh who has the most difficult role here as Iman. Zareh’s work is full of intensity and is quite strong throughout the picture. This character must adhere to his job’s requirements and must confront the fact that his survival and the future of his family is dependent on doing things that are rather sketchy to serve the forms of justice that are thrust upon him by those professionals he associates with. The Seed of the Sacred Fig takes a political stance (and it’s a powerful one) but the movie doesn’t offer any easy solutions to the very layered and difficult situations it proposes to the audience.
Mahsa Rostami is a revelation as Rezvan. She presents the essence of the movie’s themes as her character struggles with the morality of things that are in plain view. Setareh Maleki will also tear the viewer’s heart out as she tries to save her mom and sister from a potentially dire fate.
Though what seems like an unnecessary car chase occurs in the picture, the videos that are taken on characters’ phones during this part of the movie help develop the plot a bit towards the end. Though the last plot developments can feel unsatisfying, they may be the only possible outcomes to a story with this much complexity. In the end, The Seed of the Sacred Fig is a probing look at a family in crisis and the themes represent the politics that drive many of the decisions certain families must make to try to either stay together or drift apart forever.
Rating: 9/10
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