TIFF 2024: The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Film
It's hard to fathom that Mohammad Rasoulof's The Seed of the Sacred Fig, a searing indictment of the Iranian regime, is seeing the light of day.
Not only did Rasoulof have to shoot the film secretly over 70 days, but he also received an eight-year prison sentence in the middle of shooting. Hoping the appeal would delay his eventual apprehension long enough to finish the film, Rasoulof persevered through filming, at times taking elongated breaks to not draw attention to the cast and crew. A cast that includes Soheila Golestani who protested wearing a hijab and was arrested during the protests at the center of the film for the Women, Life, Freedom Movement. Eventually, the court upheld the sentence, and Rasoulof had to make a decision.
Leave or stay?
These incomprehensible stories are on full display throughout Rasoulof's filmography, but none more powerful than the film at the heart of this timeline, The Seed of the Sacred Fig. Named after an ancient fig tree that grows around an existing tree, eventually strangling it, the film is a scorching tempest of resistance. Against tyranny, fascism, and the theocratic regime of Iran, all centered around the emergence of the Women, Life, Freedom Movement that came to prominence after the Iranian morality police killed Mahsa Amini for improperly wearing her hijab. The film's inclusion of real footage of the movement and the government's violent response to protest by editor Andrew Bird makes Rasoulof's work even more impactful.
The Seed of the Sacred Fig follows Iman (Missagh Zareh), a devoted husband who was recently promoted to an investigating judge in Iran's revolutionary court. He lives with his wife Najmeh (Golestani) and two young adult daughters Rezvan (Mahsa Rostami) and Sana (Setareh Maleki), who now are held to a higher standard like staying off social media, he's even given a government-issued handgun to protect his family should they be targeted. Shortly after his promotion, Iman realizes he wasn't chosen for his work ethic or accolades but because those above him require him to sign off on every judgment regardless of the evidence, including death sentences. This realization takes a turn for the worse when the protests and subsequent violent response by the government occur during the Women, Life, Freedom Movement. But Iman begins questioning everything and everyone when his assigned handgun goes missing--a very literal example of Chekhov's gun thanks to some extremely clever directing from Rasoulof--resulting in a paranoid thriller that will surely leave its mark on you.
Rasoulof's ability to, almost on a dime, change the trajectory of The Seed of the Sacred Fig from political drama to dark family thriller is, at the very least, astonishing. Within this seismic shift of tone, the outward exploration of combatting fascism turns inward. Instead of Iman being a possible victim, he's now the most sinister of villains. It's a gamble, bending the very genre of the film halfway through, but it pays off in searing suspense that keeps you pressed into the back of your seat. The central cast's performances are all tremendous, and their chemistry is entirely believable, making the family that much more broken when the gears of fate begin to turn. Unfortunately, those gears turn for a little bit too long as the final 30 minutes of the film lose steam exponentially. I loved everything leading up to it, but the strange mixture of The Shining and Scooby-Doo displayed in a labyrinthian chase became too slapstick in nature.
Although the ending left a relatively sour taste in my mouth, there's no denying the triumphant film that Rasoulof has put together is one of the most impactful of the year. His dissection of the Iranian regime, resulting in his escape, makes the film become more than just a collection of scenes. And Bird was correct to splice in real footage of the Women, Life, Freedom Movement's brutally violent response from the government, heightening the very real-life stakes and giving emotional depth to The Seed of the Sacred Fig.
While Rasoulof may have lost some footing in the finale, The Seed of the Sacred Fig is still a scorching piece of work from the writer/director, and we are beyond lucky to be able to see it.
Froth
A small hike away from the TIFF central area is a little slice of heaven called Collective Arts Brewing. This, yes that's right, collective had a smattering of beer types that were all screaming my name. So naturally, I had to get a flight to get as much mileage out of my little scamper as I could. While all their beers were delightful, only one could match the genre-bending, tone shifting of The Seed of the Sacred Fig, the Mango, Lime & Jalapeño Gose. Bouncing between sweet, savory mango, the margarita-esque punch of lime, and the heat of the jalapeño, this Gose had a little bit of everything going on. And let me tell you, it was sublime. All three sensational flavor profiles were intricately balanced to not overpower, and they came in different intervals to provide a wholly unique drinking experience. The thick heavy body elevated the mango elements feeling, close to the mouthfeel of a heavy stout, but light and refreshing with lime and fruit flavors.
