A
Hero, winner of Cannes' Grand Prix and Iran's entry for the 94th
Best International Film Academy Awards, may be two times Academy
Awards winner Ashgar Farhadi's (A Separation 2011, The Salesman,
2016), most accomplished thriller-drama.
Blurring
the line between hero and villain, writer-director Farhadi explores
how good deeds and morality are affected by public opinion and social
media. Set
in Shiraz, calligrapher Rahim Soltani (Amir Jadidi) is imprisoned for
failing to repay a loan to his former father-in-law Bahram (Mohsen
Tanabandeh), after Rahim's business partner skipped town with the
money.
During
a two day prison leave, Rahim's secret girlfriend Farkhondeh (Sahar
Goldust) finds a bag containing 17 gold coins. Rather than using the
coins to repay his debt and get out of jail, Rahim decides to find
the rightful owner and return the coins. When this story is picked up
by the media, Rahim suddenly achieves hero status. However, things
quickly spiral out of control.
Through
cleverly conceived, intricate, multilayered plot twists, Farhadi
builds-up tension and maneuvers perception, sympathies and judgements
as moral dilemmas compound.
Jadidy's
solid performance of an endearing, yet reflective and ambiguous man,
bound by honor and entangled in a social media web is compelling,
never feeling scripted.
Riveting
and thought-provoking is this universal and contemporary moral tale
that keeps one guessing from beginning to the end.
No comments:
Post a Comment