Directed by Iranian Mohammad Rasoulof, who’s now living in exile in Berlin, The Seed of the Sacred Fig is a brave protest film that’s served up with depth, commitment, and an appreciation for the real-life complexities of the issues that presently face Rasoulof’s countrymen. Unsurprisingly, it picked up awards and/or nominations at major film festivals and the Oscars. Thank you to the Film Development Council of the Philippines for including this film in the ongoing little festival of foreign films. I caught a screening at Power Plant, Rockwell. 

Imam is a judge working in the minor circuit when he’s suddenly plucked out and promoted to investigating judge. At first, his wife and two daughters are excited about moving up in the world, and the girls dream of having separate bedrooms. But of course, this is present-day Iran and the promotion comes with a cost, they expect blind obedience and indictments for those arrested for any form of civil unrest or activities detrimental to the regime. For his safety, Imam is even issued a handgun. 

This is set during 2022, when the Mahsa Amini street protests broke out and civil disobedience was a recurring issue. Amini had been arrested for not wearing the traditional garb for women, and died while under police custody. The police claimed she died from a stroke. Social media footage of the Tehran protests is incorporated in the film’s narrative, highlighting the violent reprisals of the police. 

For the film's first hour, this footage is our clue to what’s happening outside. Most of the main sequences offer us a detailed picture of the nuclear family—the close relationship between mother and two daughters, how she looks out for her husband and supports him, and how she always thinks of the bigger picture to safeguard his promotion.

The film abruptly shifts gears at the 80-minute mark, when the handgun in the apartment disappears. The narrative turns thriller, as the Judge allows the interrogation of his own family, is consumed by paranoia, and slowly, the mother sides with her two daughters. And it’s a short excursion to all out tragedy. 

The family is being presented as a microcosm of society at large. How can the assumed guardian of the social unit get his wires crossed and become a threat to the family and its safety? Watch this while you have the chance.