User reviews

It was philosopher Hannah Arendt who wrote about the 'banality of evil': those who commit the cruelest acts can be the most ordinary human beings. This is impressively shown in the first chapter of 'There is no evil'. A perfectly ordinary man drives home, parks his car, helps his neighbour, showers, watches television, picks up his wife and daughter, goes shopping, etcetera. When he drives off to work the next day, he hesitates when the traffic light turns green. In the final moments of the episode, the viewer understand why. The shocking last scene turns everything that came before upside down. This is film making at its best.

The other three episodes deal, in different ways, with the same issue: capital punishment. Director Rasoulof is not interested in legal dilemmas surrounding the death penalty, he only shows the consequences it can have. He focuses not on the question if capital punishment can be justified, but on the moral difficulties of those who keep the system running, or who are forced to do that.

The four episodes are quite different. The second one feels like a thriller, the third one like a romance and the fourth like a mystery story. Sometimes the death penalty issue is presented at the start of the episode, sometimes it is only revealed at the end. The four episodes have in common that they are expertly and beautifully filmed. Rasoulof's style is understated and I think most western film makers wouldn't be able to show this much restraint, when dealing with a subject such as this.

The fact that Rasoulof has been convicted for making this film, adds an extra dimension to it. But apart from the political importance, in its own right this is a showpiece of cinematographic craftsmanship. Once again an example of superb Iranian film making.

This was some of the finest acting in film I've ever seen. Some of these scenes I felt guilty watching because I felt like I was actually there and spying on them.

Every act was thought provoking and perfectly executed. Some of the scenes were masterpieces of visual art. The girl standing against the wall of the house with her red boots blew my mind at how visually perfect it was and reminded me that scenes like this are not common in film making anymore.

This is the film to watch when you're tired of superficial films and want to watch something deeper with substance and fine acting.

I'll be looking for more from this director and these actors and actresses.

Prison guards are prisoners themselves, yet they are responsible for their action, in a system that is brutal and oppressive.

Can people abrogate their ethical, humane responsibilities on the ground that they are just following the orders?

Oppressive system break people in more than one way, by denying their rights and forcing, "encouraging" them to conform and oppress others which in turn shatters their humanity!

So who is the evil? The system ( which is made of individuals) or those individuals themselves, with varying degrees of responsibility.

There is always a price we pay for "choices" we make, just as there are reward(s) for those choices. Conformity and making unethical choices, can provide some type of " security", but may not provide peace of mind or ease the pain and the consequences of those choices.

This is well made movie that explores the role of people in a repressive environment, the choices they make and the consequences of those choices in romantic love, alienation, separation, pain and guilt feeling. State enforced capital punishment ( provides the context for the story flow. With lovely cinematography, and a deliberate slow motion in some sequences for viewers contemplation. The acting is good, with emotions well reflected in many close ups. The director should be congratulated for being brave, as making such a film in Iran is not just about budgeting and casting and other tasks of film making, but also risking one's live and making a choice about consequences of such film making.

This is one of the best movies of this year. After denouncing the corruption system in Iran, Rasoulof targets the death penalty. He doesn't seem very bothered by the censorship or the jail sentence against him. The film is beautifully shot, and the stories are cleverly told, depicting four different ways to be a victim to death penalty as an executor.

Modern day iranian filmaking,, this is a bold try,the message delved deep inside a maze of 4 loosely connected stories intoo a whole where regimecritizism is on the agenda. its a beutiful filmographic piece of the art, that may not reach a westeners expectations when viewing it, but its really a roar against the shahlalalalalalala( like the chorus in a bjørn eidsvaag song) shia government of good old persia, todays iran. its a very slow plotted movie, but i guess thats done with a great sense.

its a film about the nations 20 months military service, its about death sentencing, its about being locked up when doing your duties on others locked up, its about political refugees, and its about human relations of many levels, and its view on human rights.

in my opinion its the first part that make the deepest imprint on my mind, just compare the hypnotic effect of the traffic lights colours on the main caracter in this chapter.

the actors are just eminent in their job, dead natural over the whole line, and i really appreciate that the women may show their beautiful faces to the world, compared to other muslim countries. its just not a film for everyone cause its slow and its political, but if interested in iran and persian filmaking this is good stuff thinks the grumpy old man

This is among the top five movies that I have ever watched. The movie atmosphere is just mesmerizing and every scene just grips the audience. I truly hope that the story and its moral dilemma will be remembered for decades or centuries to come, and as humanity, we share more understanding and cooperation among us.

The four act movie is sincere, fascinating and a true work of art.

There is no evil is a first Iranian film that i saw in my life i must say that they have some good talent for filmmaking and this film in end was a good watch for me even if it is in some moments little to long and some parts of stories arent so interesting as the rest.Story was very deep in some kind of way and i felt how our characters are suffering and how they are trying to change something about their stale lifes.There is No Evil was a good film to watch expecely if you love foreign films or even just Iranian.

I watched "There is no evil" last night and I just can't stop thinking about it... the shock at the end of first episode wouldn't leave me... Definitely a must watch..

In general, the pace is too slow and the level in story line declines. To bad only the first story is surprising.

I tried so hard to like this movie, but I couldn't. The theme was forced unto the stories, the direction was sloppy, the music did not match the whole thing, and above all, if one's dad is the director, that doesn't make them a good actress.

The best and the more meaningful Iranian movie I have ever seen. Highly recommended

There is no evil in my life, there just can't be, as long as I don't let it in, however appalling the circumstances. This is the message I learned from this masterpiece so blatantly brute in its theme and so eloquently subtle in its portrayal. Although one of the characters is not forgiven, another will definitely be, and the fact that I know why gives me hope and faith in humanity. So go watch this instead of watching the news, and remember to make the right choice when you know you must.

Good story, great script and storytelling. Very moving storylines and interesting characters. The linkage between all four storylined does not seem too constructed, but reveals organically. The pace however is beyond slow partially. The last time i have seen a man in a car for such a long time was is "No turning back". You could easily save half an hour by editing without loosing any plot. Some scenes hold a perspective for a long time without that much effect. The acting is very divers from solid to below-average. Few scenes suffer from that and lack of credibility at times. This two critical arguments can take you out of immersion as a viewer.

Simple and Profound

Simple because you don't see fireworks all around. You don't see special effects everywhere.

You don't see excess stimulus.

Profound because you don't see the usual mainstream hollow type of movie, without nothing to say, without a story, only with the usual kind of 'come see the flashlights'.

Very good movie like it's difficult to find nowadays.

The movie takes you slowly thru the plot, without you noticing it, but it takes you in a impactful journey.

The stories seem disconnected at first, but somehow they are connected by an invisible thread that binds all together.

This movie makes you think deeply about it, even after you've watched it, and also raises some important questions about the responsibilities and consequences of our choices in life.

Great movie Recommend it to everyone.

A memorable and very impressive work.

A deep film that is made very carefully. Execution is the main theme of this movie, which is beautifully designed in four episodes. Executioners are the main thread of these four stories.

Mohammad Rasoulov, a different and insightful Iranian director, is the creator of this masterpiece

The main challenge of this movie is where the viewer has to sympathize with the executioner. And the sentence "officer and excused" challenges how "honor" is involved with "duty" among the employees of the dictatorial system.

. This film can have a deep impact for every global viewer to have a better understanding of daily life in a dictatorial regime.

Part one was very good, i really liked it, the actress played very professional, and sound is like neda yasi :)) Part two, not bad, i got depressed by watching it, Part three, nice shots, nice girl, weak story! Other parts, i felt sleep! Boring.

This movie has plot twists that will make ur jaw drop and blow your mind, it's really very well made and you should definitely watch it and it's worth your while.

Really good movie. Just as the movie title is, that show us there is no evil. Almost Every decision has good side and bad side. You must decide what is the best in your opinion and do that way. Nothing is 100% wrong or right. And help us to don't judge people easily. Certainly worthy to watch. Highly recomonded.

The rhythm and rate of movie is a little bit slow but, episodes are well timed. The movie is about responsibility of our actions, said the writer and director m.rasoulof. There are 4 episodes in the total runtime of 150 minutes,each one's quite independent of other episodes. In summary the movie is well-made, with a lot of eye catching scenes and touching twists. Combinated by outstanding performance of actors.

Just think of this work as the director is completely banned from any form of action and refused to coaprate with a system he did not believe in. So the recordings was quietly done in Iran before the film maker goes to jail for his civil disobedience and protest.

Mohammad Rasoulof's 2020 film 'Sheytan vojood nadarad' ('There is No Evil' is the English title) confirms once again that great cinema can be made even under dictatorship. It is not always possible and many stars have to line up for this. A genius director must have the courage and find funding. He needs to assemble a team of quality actors and technicians with enough courage to enlist in the project. They must assume the risk that their film will not be screened for a long time for audiences in their countries or that it will be distributed in a controlled and limited manner. Censorship is expected to pressure for changes or the elimination of scenes considered subversive. If they do not submit to the political dictates, the risks for filmmakers range from venomous criticism and the impossibility of making another film in their country to accusations of treason, police investigations, political persecution and prison sentences. And yet, despite all this, there were Andrei Tarkovsky, Andrzej Wajda, Lucian Pintilie. And there is today Wang Xiaoshuai and Mohammad Rasoulof. The courage of their attitudes was and is supported by cinematic mastery. This is how masterpieces are born. This film is one of them.

'Sheytan vojood nadarad' is composed of four films of 30-40 minutes each. They comprise independent stories that have as a common element the fact that their heroes are executioners of the death penalty. None of them does it out of pleasure or conviction. Two of them resist and the personal consequences are tragic. One is an executioner by profession. He seems like an ordinary man, a clerk who takes care of his family's problems, he has a mother, a wife, a daughter. An example of the banality of evil, would have written Hannah Arendt. Even in his case, the burden of the 'profession' is obvious. The heroes in two other segments are conscripts. One receives the mission of an execution, but does not feel capable of carrying it out. He seeks to get rid of it through all kinds of tricks and when the inevitable approaches he resorts to an extreme solution. The other volunteered to earn a few days of leave with his girlfriend, but the consequences will be devastating for his romantic relationship. Finally, the hero of the last segment had been forced to desert many years ago to avoid becoming a criminal accomplice of the system. The consequences are painful not only for him but also for everyone around him. In a society where free communication is impossible for many reasons, from tradition to political terror, traumas are transmitted with few words from one generation to the next.

For films of this kind to have a chance to meet their audiences, their screenwriters must moderate their criticisms and package them in life situations that are acceptable to the censors. Dissident filmmakers have always turned these constraints into virtues. Double-meaning language and indirect allusions add subtlety to the cinematic approach. So did Mohammad Rasoulof, who in this case also wrote the script. Each of the four stories proposes a consistent narrative and a different approach to a common theme - how can humanity be preserved in a system that tries to corrupt its subjects and make them accomplices in crime? Helped by a team of exceptional actors, he manages to give life and human authenticity to each of the characters. None of them is a criminal and, as the film's title suggests, there is no born Evil in them. The situations they find themselves in are humanly impossible, and this is due to a system that makes the death penalty a judicial tool combined with an instrument of political terror. Great cinema is simple cinema. 'Sheytan vojood nadarad' is a beautiful, courageous and sad film. At the end of the screening, we, the viewers, are left with some sense of optimism. The human landscape depicted by the four films is diverse. Humanity has not been completely suppressed, it remains present in the way some of the heroes behave and act. The cry for freedom and justice cannot be completely silenced and the art of film is one of its means of expression.