A timely domestic drama that turns into terrifying political horror

The Seed of the Sacred Fig
It begins as a chamber drama, which takes place mainly in a family’s apartment. Iman (Missagh Zareh) is a loyal lawyer who works for the Revolutionary Court in Tehran and, when promoted to investigator, must compromise his concept of justice and align himself with the Iranian regime, passing death sentences without complete oversight. His daughters, Rezvan (Mahsa Rostami) and Sana (Setareh Maleki), and their mother, Najmeh (Soheila Golestani), exist largely on his periphery, though it is this trio that the film is most interested in.

Iman moves in and out of the apartment like a ghost, going about the invisible business that is visibly wearing him down. Every night, he makes a point of putting away his gun, given to him by his superiors, so that he can use it to protect himself if and when his job position is compromised. When the gun disappears, however, The Seed of the Sacred Fig blossoms into something terrifying, a domestic drama that turns into a portrait of horror as the family Iman had so much faith in disintegrates around her.

The seed of the sacred fig is sown during real events

Mahsa Amini protests began in 2022

Directed by Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, The Seed of the Sacred Fig looks at the political landscape of Iran through the lens of one family during a time of political upheaval. Mahsa Amini’s death is the film’s inciting event – ​​the 22-year-old woman was beaten to death by state authorities after allegedly violating Iranian hijab laws, according to eyewitnesses.

Amini’s death sparked protests that soon turned violent, resulting in the deaths of 551 people at the hands of the government. Due to nature The Seed of the Sacred FigFilmed in secret by Rasoulof, the director uses real footage from the protests in Iran rather than staging the action himself. It is an effective and worrying tool, which shows the reality that Rezvan, Sana and Najmeh face inside and outside the home.

The secrecy surrounding filming forces much of the The Seed of the Sacred Fig take place within the confines of the family’s apartment, creating a claustrophobic feeling to the process. The two-bedroom apartment appears to be closing in on Rezvan, Sana and Najmeh as the violence outside the walls becomes horrific, eventually seeping inside. When Iman is there, the house seems even smaller, and her imposing presence is a reminder of the oppressive forces at work.

When the family is forced to flee Tehran, Iman takes them to her childhood home, and although we see the vast Iranian countryside, there is little room to breathe. Iman is worried that the gun’s disappearance will cause him to lose his job. Although at first it appears that Iman is compromising a part of himself by giving in to the prosecutor’s demands, the film slowly reveals that Iman’s beliefs were an illusion, one that benefited him as much as it benefited his family.

The true horror of the sacred fig seed is indoors

It’s a grim realization, one that forces Rezvan, Sana and Najmeh to confront who Iman really is. Najmeh, who staunchly supports Iman and rejects the protests, is forced to reckon with her love for her daughters and her increasingly progressive outlook in the face of political turmoil. Whether she chooses her husband or her daughters is the source of much of the film’s tension, as their lives fall apart.

Each actor gives an impressive performance – Zareh grows increasingly sinister as Iman, while the three women – Golestani, Malecki and Rostami – form a powerful trio as their positions change throughout the film. It’s a delicate balancing act, and Rasoulof achieves it amidst a sprawling epic that looks at a key moment in history through the microcosmic lens of a family in a state of revolution.

When The seed of a sacred fig begins, it becomes clear that Iman’s family cannot sustain its dynamic. Najmeh does everything he can to keep his family together, but the change taking place in their lives is an unstoppable force that bends the world to its will, for both good and bad.

At the end of The Seed of the Sacred FigThis family’s rigid structure is fraying as something more evil takes hold. The tonal transition is subtle – you don’t realize you’re watching a horror film until it’s too late. Like the tides of change sweeping around Rezvan, Najmeh and Sana, we are caught up in their fight for survival in a world that is doing everything it can to keep them in check.

The Seed of the Sacred Fig screened at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and is now playing in limited theaters. The film is 168 minutes long and is rated PG-13 for disturbing violent content, bloody images, thematic content, some language and smoking.