Iranian director Asghar Farhadi is recognized for the disconcerting stories he brings to the big screen, such as the films FINDING ELLY (2009), A SEPARATION (2011) or THE SALESMAN (2016). In 2018, he was a little disappointing with EVERYBODY KNOWS, making it evident that, although the themes are universal, his cinema lives from the specificity of Iranian space and daily life. In 2021, he gained notoriety again with the film A HERO, a tale that invites us to watch Rahim Soltani's journey of transformation and puts into perspective the tenuity of the lines drawn between morality and dishonesty; disinterest and selfishness.
The opening sequence of the film shows Rahim Soltani, a would-be hero, leaving prison to take a two-day leave, during which he will try to settle, with his creditor, the debt that led him to that situation. A taxi ride will then take him to the archaeological site of Naqsh-e Rustam, near Persepolis, where the ascent of long and steep stairs awaits, leaving him breathless, which seems to presage the difficult journey ahead, despite Rahim believes the resolution will be relatively easy. In contrast, in the next shot, other stairs, this time it is his girlfriend who, in the opposite direction, descends full of grace, lightness and speed, dominated by a state of happiness and hope for the future. It is she who brings with her the answer to Rahim's problem. This is the first of many contrasts and dualities that emerge throughout the film, and it is on them that the diegetic structure is based.
In this context, our protagonist, in a crisis of conscience, reveals himself incapable of keeping what does not belong to him. His act of altruism soon becomes public and widely publicized by the media, giving him the status of a hero, acclaimed by the people, just for doing the right thing. Ill is humanity when doing what is right becomes a reason for acclaim and heroism. He is given a framed certificate, which attests to the authenticity of his act and which he carries with him everywhere, under his arm, so bulky that it is impossible to go unnoticed; fundraising is carried out and a list of promises and expectations are made in order to get his situation reversed. Even Rahim's creditor is willing to accept the conditions presented to pay off the debt.
However, on social networks suspicions are beginning to be raised about Rahim and, as we all know, all it takes is a fuse to start a fire. So, those who praised him before are now ready to condemn him, the roles are reversed and he goes from bestial to beast and his creditor from villain to victim, in a veiled but intense criticism of the ease with which a truth is built or destroyed, as well as humanity's lack of critical thinking, the inability to see beyond the superficial and the almost obligatory choice of one side over the other, when, in reality, neither Rahim is perfect nor his creditor is bad , both are simply human.
Rahim Soltani appears, at the end, with a shaved head, stripped of false hopes, omissions and lies, knowing that, like the prisoner who he sees to be released, he too, after serving his sentence, will be able to reunite with his family, build a life, after having subjected himself to popular scrutiny of his actions, in a film where the subtext is as important as the text, in which the shots are thought and outlined to subliminally serve the message, as cinema should be.
The opening sequence of the film shows Rahim Soltani, a would-be hero, leaving prison to take a two-day leave, during which he will try to settle, with his creditor, the debt that led him to that situation. A taxi ride will then take him to the archaeological site of Naqsh-e Rustam, near Persepolis, where the ascent of long and steep stairs awaits, leaving him breathless, which seems to presage the difficult journey ahead, despite Rahim believes the resolution will be relatively easy. In contrast, in the next shot, other stairs, this time it is his girlfriend who, in the opposite direction, descends full of grace, lightness and speed, dominated by a state of happiness and hope for the future. It is she who brings with her the answer to Rahim's problem. This is the first of many contrasts and dualities that emerge throughout the film, and it is on them that the diegetic structure is based.
In this context, our protagonist, in a crisis of conscience, reveals himself incapable of keeping what does not belong to him. His act of altruism soon becomes public and widely publicized by the media, giving him the status of a hero, acclaimed by the people, just for doing the right thing. Ill is humanity when doing what is right becomes a reason for acclaim and heroism. He is given a framed certificate, which attests to the authenticity of his act and which he carries with him everywhere, under his arm, so bulky that it is impossible to go unnoticed; fundraising is carried out and a list of promises and expectations are made in order to get his situation reversed. Even Rahim's creditor is willing to accept the conditions presented to pay off the debt.
However, on social networks suspicions are beginning to be raised about Rahim and, as we all know, all it takes is a fuse to start a fire. So, those who praised him before are now ready to condemn him, the roles are reversed and he goes from bestial to beast and his creditor from villain to victim, in a veiled but intense criticism of the ease with which a truth is built or destroyed, as well as humanity's lack of critical thinking, the inability to see beyond the superficial and the almost obligatory choice of one side over the other, when, in reality, neither Rahim is perfect nor his creditor is bad , both are simply human.
Rahim Soltani appears, at the end, with a shaved head, stripped of false hopes, omissions and lies, knowing that, like the prisoner who he sees to be released, he too, after serving his sentence, will be able to reunite with his family, build a life, after having subjected himself to popular scrutiny of his actions, in a film where the subtext is as important as the text, in which the shots are thought and outlined to subliminally serve the message, as cinema should be.