The Seed of the Sacred Fig review: this Oscar-nominated thriller is a blistering attack on the Iranian regime Presumably, once Ken Loach or Armando Iannucci have wrapped on one of their excoriating or hilarious takedowns of the British state, they return to their own beds for a well-earned night’s sleep.
However, Rezvan and Sana are understandably obsessed with the protests following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini in 2022 for not wearing a hijab properly, and constantly receiving videos from friends that contradict the story being told on state TV – and by their father.
Najmeh immediately lays down the new law to their late-teenage daughters, Rezvan (Mahsa Rostami) and the younger Sana (Setareh Maleki): be impeccable citizens in the eyes of the regime and ultra-careful about what you post on social media.
After refusing to remove the film from Cannes last year, Rasoulof was handed an eight-year sentence and promptly (wisely) fled to Germany – his 28-day, passport-less journey and preceding career should surely become a movie in its own right.
Unlike most of the film crew, Golestani didn’t escape from Iran and is awaiting the verdict of a court trial last month on charges including “spreading corruption and prostitution on Earth”.
