The Seed of the Sacred Fig received the longest and most emotional standing ovation at Cannes this year. Director Mohammad Rasoulof, winner of the 2020 Best Film at Berlin for There Is No Evil, daringly escaped Iran to attend the premiere, after being sentenced to a flogging and eight years in jail. Many believe that his exceptionally brave film, possibly the most explicitly political cinematic work out of contemporary Iran, should have won the Palme d’Or.

Rasoulof cannily takes an oblique look at the protests that erupted following the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of Iran’s so-called morality police. He zooms in on the shockwaves that the protests send straight into the household of Iman, an inspector of the Revolutionary Court. A man with the power to prosecute political opponents directly. His wife and two daughters are directly and deeply affected, and the family cannot cope with the growing paranoia and distrust that the events outside are causing within their relationships.

Starting as an oppressive, almost claustrophobic family drama featuring real footage from the protests, The Seed of the Sacred Fig unexpectedly morphs into a breathtaking thriller with allegorical undertones and an unforgettable, cathartic finale. — Paolo Bertolin