A Hero, 2021.
Written and Directed by Asghar Farhadi.
Starring Amir Jadidi, Mohsen Tanabande, Fereshteh Sadr Orafaee, Sahar Goldust, Maryam Shahdaie, Ali Reza Jahandideh, Ehsan Goodarzi, Sarina Farhadi, Farrokh Nourbakht, Mohammad Aghebati, and Saleh Karimai.
SYNOPSIS:
Rahim is in prison because of a debt he was unable to repay. During a two-day leave, he tries to convince his creditor to withdraw his complaint against the payment of part of the sum. But things don’t go as planned.
They say no good deed goes unpunished, but for Rahim (an engrossing Amir Jadidi at a crossroads between familial duty and honor, and slight deception that spirals out of control), his good deed in two-time Oscar-winning writer and director Asghar Farhadi’s A Hero is nothing but punished. Granted, there is some sly behavior behind it.
In a cinematic landscape where filmmakers rarely know how to integrate Internet trending into a narrative without it coming across like a convenient crutch, Asghar Farhadi is aware that it’s not about how many eyes are on the ongoing story, but rather what they are saying, which side can be the loudest, and who can sway public opinion the most. Sometimes all that matters is what’s most fresh in the mind of the Internet.
A Hero is a merry-go-round of moral issues that feels as if it might never end, and considering the strength of the writing, why would anyone ever want it to? There is a glimpse into systems so broken, prying so absurd, and an Internet culture so flippy floppy that one might think twice next time before performing the smallest act of kindness. It’s sad but true. However, we do have Asghar Farhadi as a hero to cinema.
Tickets can be purchased here.
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com