Justin Chang

In the nearly 20 years that I've been attending the Cannes Film Festival, I've rarely witnessed anything as emotional as I did last May, when the Iranian director Mohammad Rasulov arrived for the world premiere screening of his new movie, The Seed of the Sacred Fig.

In the nearly 20 years that I've been attending the Cannes Film Festival, I've rarely witnessed anything as emotional as I did last May, when the Iranian director Mohammad Rasulov arrived for the world premiere screening of his new movie, The Seed of the Sacred Fig.

In the nearly 20 years that I've been attending the Cannes Film Festival, I've rarely witnessed anything as emotional as I did last May, when the Iranian director Mohammad Rasulov arrived for the world premiere screening of his new movie, The Seed of the Sacred Fig.

As he walked up the red-carpeted steps and entered the theater to thunderous applause, Razulov didn't look like a man who had been on the run just two weeks earlier. He fled his country after receiving an eight-year prison sentence, hardly the first time he's run afoul of the government, which since 2010 has frequently arrested him, jailed him, and banned him from filmmaking.

As he walked up the red-carpeted steps and entered the theater to thunderous applause, Razulov didn't look like a man who had been on the run just two weeks earlier. He fled his country after receiving an eight-year prison sentence, hardly the first time he's run afoul of the government, which since 2010 has frequently arrested him, jailed him, and banned him from filmmaking.

As he walked up the red-carpeted steps and entered the theater to thunderous applause, Razulov didn't look like a man who had been on the run just two weeks earlier. He fled his country after receiving an eight-year prison sentence, hardly the first time he's run afoul of the government, which since 2010 has frequently arrested him, jailed him, and banned him from filmmaking.

Like some of his other movies, The Seat of the Sacred Fig was shot entirely in secret. That can't have been easy to pull off, though in some ways it makes a certain sense for a drama that's all about the corrosive nature of secrets and lies. Misog Zare'e plays a lawyer named Iman, who's just been promoted to investigating judge, a job so dangerous that he's been issued a gun for his protection.

Like some of his other movies, The Seat of the Sacred Fig was shot entirely in secret. That can't have been easy to pull off, though in some ways it makes a certain sense for a drama that's all about the corrosive nature of secrets and lies. Misog Zare'e plays a lawyer named Iman, who's just been promoted to investigating judge, a job so dangerous that he's been issued a gun for his protection.

Like some of his other movies, The Seat of the Sacred Fig was shot entirely in secret. That can't have been easy to pull off, though in some ways it makes a certain sense for a drama that's all about the corrosive nature of secrets and lies. Misog Zare'e plays a lawyer named Iman, who's just been promoted to investigating judge, a job so dangerous that he's been issued a gun for his protection.

His wife, Najmeh, played by Sohelaw Golestani, is excited about the news. With Iman's higher salary, they can at last afford a bigger home. But they warn their two daughters, 21-year-old Rezvan and teenage Sanaa, that they must be irreproachable in their behavior so as not to harm their father's reputation.

His wife, Najmeh, played by Sohelaw Golestani, is excited about the news. With Iman's higher salary, they can at last afford a bigger home. But they warn their two daughters, 21-year-old Rezvan and teenage Sanaa, that they must be irreproachable in their behavior so as not to harm their father's reputation.

His wife, Najmeh, played by Sohelaw Golestani, is excited about the news. With Iman's higher salary, they can at last afford a bigger home. But they warn their two daughters, 21-year-old Rezvan and teenage Sanaa, that they must be irreproachable in their behavior so as not to harm their father's reputation.

That means wearing the hijab in public, keeping a low profile on social media, and not hanging out with the wrong people. But Rezvan and Sanaa are both smart, observant, and increasingly critical of their parents' traditionalism, especially in light of the news. The story takes place in 2022, during the early days of the Woman Life Freedom Movement.

That means wearing the hijab in public, keeping a low profile on social media, and not hanging out with the wrong people. But Rezvan and Sanaa are both smart, observant, and increasingly critical of their parents' traditionalism, especially in light of the news. The story takes place in 2022, during the early days of the Woman Life Freedom Movement.

That means wearing the hijab in public, keeping a low profile on social media, and not hanging out with the wrong people. But Rezvan and Sanaa are both smart, observant, and increasingly critical of their parents' traditionalism, especially in light of the news. The story takes place in 2022, during the early days of the Woman Life Freedom Movement.

Those protests erupted after a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman died in the custody of the Morality Police, which had arrested her for allegedly wearing a hijab improperly. Razulov includes real-life footage of the protests and ensuing acts of police violence, giving the movie a jolt of documentary immediacy. But he also shows us how Iran's social unrest impacts the family directly.

Those protests erupted after a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman died in the custody of the Morality Police, which had arrested her for allegedly wearing a hijab improperly. Razulov includes real-life footage of the protests and ensuing acts of police violence, giving the movie a jolt of documentary immediacy. But he also shows us how Iran's social unrest impacts the family directly.

Those protests erupted after a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman died in the custody of the Morality Police, which had arrested her for allegedly wearing a hijab improperly. Razulov includes real-life footage of the protests and ensuing acts of police violence, giving the movie a jolt of documentary immediacy. But he also shows us how Iran's social unrest impacts the family directly.

When one of her friends is injured at a rally, Rezvan becomes increasingly supportive of the movement, to her parents' chagrin. But even Iman has his doubts about the government he serves. He is demoralized by his new job, which forces him to interrogate and likely imprison hundreds of protesters.

When one of her friends is injured at a rally, Rezvan becomes increasingly supportive of the movement, to her parents' chagrin. But even Iman has his doubts about the government he serves. He is demoralized by his new job, which forces him to interrogate and likely imprison hundreds of protesters.