A Hero: Film Review
Asghar Farhadi‘s latest film A Hero won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival and has been selected as the Iranian entry for the Best International Feature Film Oscar. Those achievements speak for themselves so you don’t really need me to tell you it’s good but I’m doing it anyway.
The film tells the story of Rahim (Amir Jadidi), who is behind bars because he was unable to repay a debt. During a two-day leave from prison, Rahim tries to convince his creditor Bahram (Mohsen Tanabandeh) to withdraw his complaint by offering him a portion of what he owes. He has this money because his girlfriend Farkhondeh (Sahar Goldoost) found a handbag containing gold coins on the street. However, Rahim’s conscience gets the better of him and he decides to find the rightful owner of the bag. His good deed receives TV and newspaper coverage and he becomes a hero – until everything goes awry.
Farhadi has written a really interesting story with many twists and turns that I never would have predicted. It starts off very simple and straightforward but the layers of complication are continually added as Rahim gets tangled up in a web of lies that becomes impossible to get out of. He’s not a saint and certainly makes some poor choices but he decides to do the right thing and gets bitten in the arse for it. You feel sorry for him and want him to catch a break but it isn’t clear how he can get out of the mess he’s put himself in.
I was intrigued by A Hero from the beginning as I went in completely cold and had no idea what it was about. It became even more compelling as it went along and I was hooked in, eager to find out what was coming next. Jadidi carries the film along with his subtly despairing performance so you can’t help but feel sympathy for Rahim, despite his mistakes.
A Hero poses a great moral dilemma and makes you think about what you would do in that situation – would you take the money you so desperately need? Make sure you find out what happens to Rahim after he does; you won’t regret it.
On Prime Video from Friday 21st January