Before its Cannes debut, Mohammad Rasoulof’s The Seed of the Sacred Fig was already steeped in controversy and anticipation. The Iranian filmmaker, sentenced to eight years in prison and flogging for his revolutionary art deemed a threat to national security, fled to Germany before completing the film. Despite these challenges, Rasoulof’s work arrived in time for the festival, emerging as one of the most highly anticipated entries in the official competition.
The Seed of the Sacred Fig is a gripping exploration of familial and societal turmoil in modern Iran, set against the backdrop of “Women, Life, Freedom” protests following Mahsa Amini’s death in 2022. Iman (Missagh Zareh), an ambitious lawyer, earns a promotion to the role of state investigator, a significant step towards becoming a revolutionary court judge. With his new position comes increased income, a larger apartment for his family, and the heavy burden of aligning with the oppressive demands of the state. However, the rising tension on Tehran’s streets, sparked by the protests following Mahsa Amini’s tragic death, begins to penetrate his seemingly insulated home life.
Iman’s wife Najmeh (Soheila Golestani) attempts to maintain a fragile domestic harmony, while their daughters, Rezvan (Mahsa Rostami) and Sana (Setareh Maleki), find themselves drawn to the protests and the call for freedom after Sana’s friend was hit on the street. The family’s differing perspectives on the unfolding crisis strain their relationships, particularly as Iman grows more entrenched in his role, signing off on harsh sentences without due process. His rigid stance against dissent contrasts sharply with the defiance of his daughters, whose ideals challenge the oppressive norms he upholds.
When Iman’s government-issued handgun mysteriously disappears, his paranoia spirals. Suspecting his own family, he embarks on a relentless search, turning his home into a battleground. As the stakes escalate, the film transforms from a domestic drama into a tense thriller, revealing the far-reaching consequences of a system that prioritises control over justice. The narrative crescendos in a rural village, where long-buried tensions explode, leading to a powerful finale that critiques authoritarianism and celebrates resistance.
Interestingly, The Seed of the Sacred Fig is not the only film this year to take a sudden turn in genre, shifting from a thriller into an action-packed gunfight. Kiyoshi Kurosawa achieves a similar transition in Cloud. While the role of firearms differs significantly between the two films, both explore the concept of guns as tools of systemic disruption. In The Seed of the Sacred Fig, many have drawn comparisons to Chekhov’s gun, where a firearm’s presence foreshadows its inevitable use. Likewise, in Cloud, the gun serves as a destabilising force. Both Ryosuke Yoshii (Masaki Suda), the protagonist of Cloud, and Iman in The Seed of the Sacred Fig occupy the highest rungs of their respective power hierarchies. However, these systems, built on fragile and unspoken beliefs, are easily dismantled by the presence of a gun. Ultimately, no matter how powerful these men are within their constructed worlds, they are mortal—and a single bullet is enough to bring them down.
Yet, as history reminds us, a gun serves as the ultimate resolution only in the realm of film and drama, where life ends with the fall of those in power. In reality, life persists beyond such moments. As Rasoulof reflects in the film itself, the sacred fig tree—revered in ancient Iranian culture—has an extraordinary life cycle. Its seeds, concealed within the droppings of fruit-eating birds, take root on other trees. Over time, the sprouts extend their roots downward, eventually enveloping and suffocating the host tree. Once the host is overtaken, the sacred fig tree stands independently. Perhaps, as this cycle suggests, breaking free from suffocating systems—even through acts of force and violence—may be the first step toward liberation.
Photography: Getty Images and the BFI London Film Festival