A Good Day Will Come

Amir Zargara's powerful short is a wonderful piece of cinema. Focusing on a wrestler who has to choose between competing for his country or joining a revolution against government oppression, A Good Day will Come manages to soar far above and beyond its expectations. Zargara expertly showcases the difficult choices facing Arash as he finds himself selecting between ambition and responsibility. Our actions (or inactions) have consequences and this is what director Amir Zargara aims to apprise the audience here. The acting is fantastic, the visuals are potent and A Good Day will Come ends up being a film that not only demands your attention but also manages to move you.

I'm not usually a fan of short films, but A Good Day Will Come is something special. Arash, a wrestler in Iran, is grappling with both his sport and the unrest around him, and the film captures his struggle beautifully. It's dark, moody, and the soundtrack really hits home. Sia Alipour's performance as Arash is moving without being overdone. Director Amir Zargara takes you into this emotional world, and by the end, it leaves you with a sense of quiet hope. The dark visuals and haunting music make every moment feel heavy yet important. It's brief but leaves a lasting impact. Definitely worth your time.

A crown jewel in Iranian diaspora cinema, A Good Day will Come manages to impress in more ways than one. What begins as a story of a wrestler competing for Olympic gold turns into an act of resistance that will galvanise an entire nation. Taking inspiration from the real life story of Navid Afkari, the film finds its protagonist rising up against a government that has lost the trust of its people. Writer and director Amir Zargara places the moral dilemma front and centre as he shows how such hard choices affect both those who take them and their loved ones. The dim cinematography amplifies the story and the brisk editing keeps us on our toes. Highly recommended.

Amir Zargara's A Good Day will Come asks the pertinent question that is at heart over every revolution; do you have what it takes to rebel against the regime? By framing this question within an aspiring wrestler, Amir Zargara shows the audience how even a tiniest act of resistance echoes forever. As Arash, the wrestler, prepares to take centre stage for his home country, a series of events will force him to do something drastic. The dialogue is minimal as Zargara allows the audience to fill in what he refuses to use overt exposition for. With a grim visual aesthetic and nuanced pacing, the film presents an inspiring message about standing up for what is right, and will leave you moved and inspired long after it ends.

A quietly poignant tale about courage and sacrifice in the face of brutal violence and oppression.

There's quite an interesting parallel to be drawn here between wrestling with a professional opponent and wrestling with your own morality. In both cases, if you're not quick enough, you could lose more than you can imagine. A Good Day Will Come focuses on Arash's internal wrestling match as the injustice in Iran threatens to intensify. When his family becomes affected by the political conflicts, Arash grapples with a certain responsibility to them and to his home country-the same country he proudly represents at sports tournaments.

What does it mean for the protagonist to risk everything as a public figure, dealing with the pressures of the spotlight and the duty to defend his title as a champion? Is a public statement enough to ensure he's done his part and stood his ground? In contrast, what is the risk on a personal level-to honor his dad's legacy and put his own life on the line instead of watching from the benches?

A Good Day Will Come never indulges in any spectacle, nor does it glorify the suffering of the Iranians. Amidst their country's turbulent division and savage attacks on the basic human rights of their people, this short takes an intimate, more contained approach to telling a painful story.

The camera is still. It doesn't intrude, but it lingers, unwavering at every corner, giving us enough time to look at the raw truth in the eye-the bare grief and hopelessness looming over Arash's family and many others like it. There's a sense of bleakness to the cinematography, while the somber score further amplifies the inner dread within the characters, each coping with the situation in their own way. All of those technical elements manage to fill the spaces between the scarce dialogue, working together to create a picture that can resonate with audiences on a broader level. Zargara's film poses questions about showing humanity, empathy, and a willingness to fight for what's right.