FAQ

In 1979, following the exile of the Shah of Iran during the Iranian Revolution, prosperous Iranian/Jewish gemologist Isaac Amin (Adrien Brody) is arrested by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), accused of being a supporter of the Shah, and tortured on orders of his interrogator Brother Mohsen (Alon Aboutboul) (whose face is hidden by a mask until near the end of the film). Meanwhile, Isaac's business is ransacked, his jewelry is stolen by his employees, and his wife Farnaz (Salma Hayek) and daughter Shirin (Ariana Molkara) are abused, taunted, and forced to deal with the new regime that allows the poor to rob the rich in order to spread the wealth.

The movie is based on The Septembers of Shiraz, a 2007 novel by Iranian-born American writer Dalia Sofer. The novel was adapted for the movie by screenwriter Hanna Weg.

The title refers to the month of September 1958 when Farnaz and Isaac first met in Shiraz.

One of the oldest cities in ancient Persia and once capital of Iran during the Zand dynasty from 1750 until 1800, Shiraz is located in southwest Iran along the Roodkhaneye Khoshk (The Dry River).

After a last dinner and night in their home in Tehran, Farnaz deeds the house to her housekeeper Habibeh (Shohreh Aghdashloo]), and she, Isaac, and Shirin prepare to flee Iran. Meanwhile, Habibeh's nephew Morteza (Navid Navid) has presented the IRGC with a letter implicating Isaac as a friend of the Shah. Morteza is arrested in the process, but an alert is issued to pick up Isaac. After a chase in which Isaac manages to elude his pursuers, he and his family reach the rendez-vous point and are taken to the Turkish border. Back at IRGC headquarters, Mohsen reflects over the letter from Morteza and decides to burn it. In the final scene, Isaac and his family cross the Turkish border and walk hand-in-hand to freedom. An epilogue then states that the film is dedicated to all the families of the world who have endured persecution.

Two movies set in Iran during the aftermath of the fall of the Shah are The Stoning of Soraya M. (2008) (2008) and Not Without My Daughter (1991) (1991). Other movies in which people struggle to escape a wartorn country include The Pianist (2002) (2002) and Harrison's Flowers (2000) (2000).