A Searing New Film, ‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’ Portrays the Oppression and Fear of Living Under the Iranian Powers That Be

Director Mohammad Rasoulof’s masterly focus on a divided family echoes the passionate appeals of women and young people everywhere, though the film is firmly rooted in the struggles of the Iranian people.

Via NEON
Soheila Golestani, Mahsa Rostami, and Setareh Maleki in ’The Seed of the Sacred Fig.’ Via NEON

The 2022 death of a young Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, after apparently wearing her hijab incorrectly and the resulting protests that rocked the country provide the new Iranian film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” not just with its backdrop but also with its metaphorical inquiry: How can a family survive on the suppression of expression, or, in other words, on secrets and lies? It’s an incisive question given trenchant treatment by writer/director Mohammad Rasoulof, who fled Iran this year before appearing at the Cannes Film Festival in May for the movie’s world premiere.

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