No good deed goes unpunished in Iranian drama A Hero | Film reviews | Spokane | Interior of the Pacific Northwest

Usually when a movie character finds a mysterious bag full of money, the worst thing they can do is keep the money and hope no one finds out. The main character of Iranian screenwriter and director Asghar Farhadi A hero faces this familiar dilemma, and although he desperately needs the money, he finally decides to do the right thing. But for Rahim (Amir Jadidi), returning the bag of gold coins to its grateful owner is just the first step in a growing series of misjudgments, white lies and impulsive mistakes that add up. slowly to ruin his fragile redemption.

When Rahim is presented with the bag of money, he is on two days’ leave from jail for an unpaid debt, and since repaying his creditor would allow him to be released from jail, he is already sacrificing safety for morality by giving the money back. When prison officials discover his selfless act, they take the opportunity to do good publicity for the prison, to distract from a recent inmate suicide. Soon, Rahim is being interviewed on television, and he is already fabricating details on his account, to protect the identity of the fiancée whom his family does not know.

So the story unfolds, as each new incident presents Rahim with a new ethical dilemma, all in service of his efforts to repay the bitter man who guaranteed his business loan. Rahim only wants to start a new life with his fiancée and son, but each development in his good deed saga brings new people with their own agendas, from prison officials to charity organizers to Rahim’s family members. As usual, Farhadi builds a film around melodramatic plot elements that could be pulled from a soap opera, but he delivers them in a naturalistic, understated style that emphasizes the human toll of every decision and betrayal. .

Always, A hero is less emotionally engaging than Farhadi’s best work (including Oscar winners A separation and Seller), and at some point all of Rahim’s misfortunes become ridiculous and repetitive. Even though Rahim grows increasingly frustrated with the demands placed on him, Jadidi’s performance remains grounded and Rahim approaches each new setback with the same pained smile, determined to make the best of the situation.

The creditor who refuses to cancel Rahim’s debt or even accept partial payment may seem like the bad guy, but Farhadi also finds space for his perspective, to illustrate that Rahim’s decision-making abilities can have been suspicious for some time.

Farhadi creates sometimes unbearable discomfort in small, mundane moments, from meeting a stubborn official who is supposed to give Rahim a job, to recording a social media post from Rahim’s son (who suffers from a severe speech impediment) in defense of his father. Rahim’s plight is the product of both the unique social conditions in Iran (where debtors’ jails remain legal) and the global proliferation of social media, making every feel-good story a viral sensation that can quickly turn sour. vinegar. The combination of traditional and modern values ​​provides a fascinating tension to the story.

A hero often works better as an examination of this tension than the kind of finely observed character drama for which Farhadi is best known. Farhadi has subjected his various characters to so many unavoidable difficulties that the latter seems a bit sketchy, even though his individual elements can still create a powerful impact. ♦

A HERO

Rated PG-13

Directed by Asghar Farhadi

With Amir Jadidi, Sahar Goldust, Alireza Jahandideh