Ghahreman

Greetings again from the darkness. "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." That line from a Sir Walter Raleigh poem hit me early, and stuck with me through this latest superb film from Iranian writer-director Asghar Farhadi. Having won me over a decade ago with A SEPARATION (2011), and again 5 years ago with THE SALESMAN (2016), Farhadi excels at pushing our buttons on the complexities of human nature.

Rahim (Amir Jadidi) receives a two day leave from debtor's prison, and has reason for optimism. He has a legitimate plan to make good on his debt and gain his release. A taxi drops him at the tomb of Xerxes where his sister's brother Hossein (Alireza Jahandideh) is working on the preservation. Rahim, a low-key guy with an easy smile, asks Hossein for help in brokering a deal with Bahram (Mohsen Tanabandeh), the man who paid off the loan shark on Rahim's behalf, and filed the complaint that sent him to jail.

The divorced Rahim meets up with his secret lover, Farkhondeh (Sahar Goldust), to cash out the 17 gold coins she recently found. Unfortunately, the exchange rate is less than expected, and worse than that for Rahim, Bahram refuses to accept the partial payment in conjunction with a promissory note. This leads to the aforementioned 'tangled web' and allows filmmaker Farhadi to do what he does best ... cause us to question everything.

The web involves Rahim, Bahram, the jailer, and a local charity that gets involved for what is initially termed the actions of 'a hero'. But that's just the tip of who gets dragged in, and that includes Rahim's son, who has a significant speech impediment. So what happens? Well, without giving anything away, we learn there's a fine line between a lie and the truth, and between a heroic act and manipulation. In fact, Farhadi has us questioning what it means to be a hero. What impact does media attention have? Is it heroic to do the right thing? What if that thing also helps you? What role do the reasons for your actions play?

Rahim faces a steady stream of moral forks in the road. Which path to take at any given time has ramifications on him, his situation, and countless others. As the fibs pile up, soon others are lying to help you or telling stories to hurt you. There is so much grey area here, we can't be certain whether black and white even exists. Farhadi's film seems like a simple story about a simple man, but neither the story nor the man are simple. It's not about the money, but the money reveals character. Reputation and integrity are on the line. We may first root for Rahim and jeer Bahram, but upon reflection, we likely shift our support. This is Iran's submission to the Academy, and it's a good one.

In theaters January 7, 2022 and streaming on Amazon Prime January 21, 2021.

After a rare unexpected misfire with his last feature, the Oscar-winning Persian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi returns with a vengeance to prove why he is one of contemporary cinema's finest storytellers and delivers what's arguably his best work since A Separation. Jam-packed with all the attributes that make his stories so restlessly riveting, A Hero is another laser-focused & razor-sharp drama that unravels with cut-throat intensity.

Written & directed by Farhadi (About Elly & The Salesman), the premise is deceptively simple as expected and yet again, using mere truth & lies, the director weaves a tightly structured & intricately layered narrative that keeps us on the edge at all times. His unfailing ability to take a seemingly straightforward situation and then effortlessly turn it into a complex, challenging & nerve-wracking moral conundrum is one trait that never fails to impress.

What makes Farhadi's latest film so gripping & effective is that we as viewers can relate to what the protagonist is trying to do but we also see him unnecessarily dragging himself into a predicament that becomes increasingly difficult to escape from with every decision he makes and yet, all we can do is be a spectator to his undoing. Amir Jadidi's performance is crucial to this web of truth, lies, morality, deceit, honour, conscience & consequence and he plays his role to perfection.

Overall, A Hero is an ingeniously crafted & tautly narrated drama that unfolds with the unrelenting ferocity, nail-biting tension & edge-of-the-seat quality of a first-rate thriller and is accomplished enough on all fronts to cement its spot amongst the best all-round films of 2021. Presenting the Persian auteur at the apex of his craft while also establishing him as a luminary who's operating on a whole another level and is far ahead of his contemporaries, A Hero is top-tier cinema & a flat-out masterpiece.

Another great and mind blowing movie by Farhadi. Like his other movies, the story starts like a small snowball rolling down the hill and devastates lives.

In this story, the snowball is the social media leading to defaming a good deed from a humble hero down the hill. Amazing storyline! Many audiences gave this movie low rating as the ending didn't satisfy their expectations. The fact is, we are constructing the end ahead of the story and get disappointed if we are seeing it the same.

Can one do a good deed even if it's under false pretenses? If so, is it still "heroic"? Superb Writer-Director Asghar Farhadi's (A SEPARATION, SALESMAN) latest is based on the simplest of premises: A man discovers a lost bag containing gold. The finder here is Rahim (Amir Jadidi) who is on leave from debtor's prison when he comes into possession of the loot. The valuables could go a long way to helping him pay off his debt -- and possibly lead to his release so he can return to his son and fiancee Farkhondeh (Sahar Goldust).

With Farhadi, nothing is ever as simple as it seems. Every thought and glance - let alone action - has consequences (as does inaction). The auteur weaves a complex web of motivations into the most elemental of deeds. The notions of 'good' and 'bad' are far less important than the moral and ethical implications. The title itself ironically invokes what happens to Rahim's reputation -- as well as those of his family and anybody else who are drawn into his entanglements.

The screenplay evokes classic Italian Neo-realism where something as innocent as buying a pair of shoes can create a whole complex journey around it (an example which the great screenwriter Cesare Zavattini himself used). Farhadi includes current technology such as social media, but, at it's heart, it's a tale of a man and his choices. The setting in Iran is also cleverly woven into the fabric of the storytelling with its notions of family honor and treatment of women being key subtexts.. There are a few moments here and there that get a bit repetitive, but, there is always a sense that Farhadi is firmly in control of the narrative.

None of this would work without some fine acting and Farhadi's keen eye. Jadidi is excellent as the hapless 'hero'. Mohsen Tanabandeh is equally fine as the stubbornly proud creditor as are several more in the large cast. Each actor perfectly representing their character's particular viewpoint. Farhadi isn't a stylist in the common cinefile definition of the word, but his precise camera placements and editing nonetheless mark him as one of the finest Director's working in the world. A HERO adds to his impressive resume.

Another fascinating and morally complex character study from Asghar Farhadi.

As with his previous movies "A Separation" and "The Salesman," Farhadi presents us with an ambiguous situation and then sits back and observes what happens as a varied cast of characters try to navigate it. There are no good guys or bad guys, and there's no clear right or wrong. Some people do good things for the wrong reasons. Some people do bad, or at least hurtful, things for a good reason. Many characters fall into both categories. I love Farhadi's films because they don't editorialize and they acknowledge that the world we live in is messy and complicated and that nothing, not ideas or people or beliefs, can fall into the tidy buckets that our social media world wants them to.

Grade: A.