A Hero

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A Hero
File:A Hero Farhadi.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Asghar Farhadi
Produced by
  • Alexandre Mallet-Guy
  • Asghar Farhadi
Written by Asghar Farhadi
Starring
Cinematography Ali Ghazi
Edited by Hayedeh Safiyari
Production
company
Memento Films
Distributed by
  • Khaneh Film (Iran)
  • Memento Films (France)
Release dates
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  • 13 July 2021 (2021-07-13) (Cannes)
  • 26 November 2021 (2021-11-26) (Iran)
  • 15 December 2021 (2021-12-15) (France)
Running time
 127 minutes
Country Iran
France
Language Persian

A Hero (Persian: قهرمان‎‎) is a 2021 Persian-language drama film written and directed by Asghar Farhadi, and starring Amir Jadidi, Mohsen Tanabandeh and Sahar Goldoost.[1] In June 2021, the film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or. At the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, the film won the Grand Prix.[2][3][4] It was selected as the Iranian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards,[5] but was not nominated.

Plot

Rahim Soltani is temporarily released from prison for a two-day period in order to settle an unpaid debt of 150,000 tomans to his brother-in-law, Bahram. Rahim’s lover, Farkondeh, has acquired a lost handbag containing several gold coins, which they both attempt to sell in order to repay the debt, but find that gold has lost value to the point where Rahim cannot repay Bahram in full. In the meantime, he moves in with his sister Malileh and her husband Hossein.

Malileh discovers the handbag and coins and confronts Rahim about it, leading Rahim to pursue the original owner of the handbag and return it to them. After the original owner comes to claim the bag (which Rahim claims he found), Rahim is praised for his selfless act and his story is covered by the media before he returns to prison and becomes a local celebrity. Bahram is immediately suspicious of Rahim’s story, believing he is trying to restore his image and leave prison to stop the impending second marriage of his ex-wife. The prison begins to arrange for Rahim’s release.

At a charity event to raise money and provide employment for Rahim, Bahram is incensed to learn that less than a quarter of the debt’s total has been raised. He explains to the organizers that Rahim, then unable to take out a loan from a bank, received the money from Bahram that he acquired from a loan shark, who he eventually had to repay when Rahim failed to make payments. Despite this, Bahram agrees to have Rahim released for the sake of his estranged son, Siavash.

While applying for his new job, Rahim learns that rumors have begun to spread disputing his supposed discovery and returning of the handbag, prompting Rahim to locate the woman in order for her to confirm his story, though his search is fruitless. Rahim and Malileh plot to have Farkondeh pose as the woman, using details from the actual encounter to validate Rahim’s story. The hiring manager produces a text from Rahim to Bahram offering to pay half the debt a week before the day he claimed to have found the bag, leading him to reject Rahim’s application.

Certain that Bahram forwarded the incriminating text exchange, Rahim confronts him at his printing shop, but Bahram denies it. After Bahram accuses Rahim of using his son for sympathy, Rahim physically attacks him, and nearby shopkeepers help restrain Rahim while the police arrive. Farkondeh arrives and manages to convince Bahram to let Rahim go.

Rahim is called by the charity organization to inform him of a video made by Bahram’s daughter Nazanin, which shows footage of his fight with Bahram while also unveiling his and Farkondeh’s relationship. Nazanin threatens to release the video publicly if Rahim doesn’t pay his debt in full by the next day. In light of this evidence, Rahim is forced to unveil the truth about the bag. Fearing a scandal, the organization decides to withhold the money raised for Rahim. On the last day of his leave, Rahim is informed by the charity organizer that the funds raised for him will instead be used toward the release of a man scheduled to be executed, and Farkondeh convinces her to tell the media that it was Rahim’s idea in order to help him retain some of his honor.

Nazanin’s video is released, and Farkondeh’s family forbids her from seeing Rahim again. While filming a video about Rahim’s most recent “act” of charity to soften the backlash, Siavash is coached into crying on camera by Rahim’s parole officer, Salehi, and Rahim, wanting to protect his son, relents and wishes for the video to not be released. When Salehi refuses, Rahim fights him outside until he eventually deletes it. The following morning, Farkondeh and Siavash accompany Rahim back to prison to serve the remainder of his sentence.

Cast

Production

Memento Films shopped the rights to the script by Farhadi during the 2020 European Film Market in Berlin.[7] The film entered pre-production in June 2020 and filmed through December 2020.[8] Production took place in Shiraz. In April 2021, it was revealed that Amazon Studios had acquired rights to distribute the film in the United States.[9]

Release

The film had its premiere at 2021 Cannes Film Festival on 13 July 2021, as it was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the festival. It is also selected as closing film of the 52nd International Film Festival of India to be screened on 28 November 2021.[10]

Legal disputes

A Hero was inspired by the true story of Mohammad Reza Shokri, a man who returned a bag of cash he found while on a leave from a debtors' prison in Shiraz.[11][12] Azadeh Masihzadeh made a documentary about Shokri from 2014 to 2015, when she attended a workshop taught by Farhadi on documentary filmmaking at the Karnameh Institute in Tehran. In the course, Farhadi assigned his students to research and film a documentary about people who had found and returned valuable objects to their original owners. According to Masihzadeh, while most students in the class took subjects from a list of excerpts from news media Farhadi provided them with,[11][12] she decided to work in her hometown of Shiraz to save expenses, and an acquaintance told her that she saw a news story about Shokri on local television. Masihzadeh then went to a local newspaper and the TV station that aired the news, obtained permission to film in prison, and met Shokri. Farhadi saw rushes and gave her notes at five sessions over six months. Five projects in the workshop, including Masihzadeh's, were consolidated into one film, with Farhadi's involvement obscured so as not to raise too much expectation. Masihzadeh later obtained permission from Farhadi to screen her film by itself.[13] Under the title All Winners, All Losers, the film screened at the Shiraz Arts Festival in 2018.[11]

In August 2019, when Masihzadeh was working as an intern under Farhadi at the Bamdad Institute in Tehran,[13] Farhadi asked Masihzadeh to sign a document stating that the idea for All Winners, All Losers belonged to Farhadi.[12] In the presence of Parisa Bakhtavar, his wife and director of the institute, and secretary Farideh Shafiei,[13] Masihzadeh obliged, which she has since said she did under pressure.[12] A lawyer for Memento Films, the French producer and distributor of A Hero, later pointed out that the document had no legal value as "ideas and concepts are not protected by copyright".[11]

In late 2020, Masihzadeh learned that Farhadi was making a film in Shiraz, and tried, in vain, to contact him in the city. After learning the plot of A Hero when it was announced to be in Cannes competition, Masihzadeh sent five people to watch the film at Cannes and report back. She estimated a 70% resemblance based on their report and began posting similarities they spotted on Instagram under the hashtag #a_hero.[13] Farhadi offered Masihzadeh an arrangement at the House of Cinema (fa). According to Memento Films' Alexandre Mallet-Guy, Farhadi offered to mention her in the end credits and pay her remuneration, while she requested that opening credits state A Hero was based on her film and that she share in the film's revenue.[13] Masihzadeh filed a complaint to the House of Cinema, which then ruled in Farhadi's favour.[14]

Following the release of A Hero, Farhadi sued Masihzadeh for defamation, and then Masihzadeh sued Farhadi for copyright infringement.[12][15] Masihzadeh claimed that she discovered the story herself and that it had not been reported in national media at the time, while Farhadi's lawyer argued that the story had already been reported in media, providing links to two news articles from 2012.[11][16][17] The manager of the workshop has told media that she shares Masihzadeh's recollection.[11][12] A fellow student who attended the workshop also testified in support of Masihzadeh in court, while some other students have signed a statement in support of Farhadi denying the allegation.[11] Masihzadeh faced up to two years in prison and 74 lashes,[11] though corporal punishment is rare for first offenders and the prison time may be avoided by paying fines.[14]

Masihzadeh found 56 similarities between her film and A Hero, 49 of which had not been reported in the press, such as the original owner of the money discovering the notice at a bank, her husband's unawareness of the loss of the money, and prison staff's improved treatment of Shokri after he returned the money.[13]

In March 2022, a judicial investigator allowed Masihzadeh to proceed with her legal action against Farhadi, while rejecting her claim to revenue.[16] On 4 April 2022, a court acquitted Masihzadeh of defamation charges for "insufficient evidence", which Farhadi could appeal.[15] The same day, it was reported that a judge found evidence Farhadi violated Masihzadeh's copyright. The Hollywood Reporter initially reported that this was a conviction subject to no appeal. Farhadi's lawyer disputed this reporting, and THR corrected itself and stated that Farhadi had merely been indicted and that the case would now move to a second judge, whose ruling may then be appealed.[18][19]

At Masihzadeh's persuasion,[13] Shokri also sued Farhadi for defamation, but this was dismissed by a court.[16][18]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 164 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.0/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "A Hero finds writer-director Asghar Farhadi once again grappling with weighty themes – with the audience emerging as the winner."[20] 82 was met with 39 reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of {{{3}}}, based on {{{4}}} reviews.[21]

Accolades

Year Award [22] Category Nominated Result
2021 Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or Asghar Farhadi Nominated
Grand Prix Won
François Chalais Prize Won
2021 Asia Pacific Screen Awards Best Feature Film Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi Nominated
Achievement in Directing Asghar Farhadi Won
Best Screenplay Asghar Farhadi Nominated
Best Actor Amir Jadidi Nominated
2021 Valladolid International Film Festival Best Film Asghar Farhadi Nominated
2021 Montclair Film Festival Narrative Feature Competition Asghar Farhadi Nominated
2021 Santa Fe Independent Film Festival Best Narrative Feature Asghar Farhadi Won
2021 Hafez Awards[23] Best Motion Picture Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi Won
Best Director – Motion Picture Asghar Farhadi Won
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture Asghar Farhadi Won
Best Actor – Motion Picture Amir Jadidi Won
Mohsen Tanabandeh Nominated
Best Actress – Motion Picture Sahar Goldoost Nominated
Best Cinematography – Motion Picture Ali Ghazi Nominated
Best Editor – Motion Picture Hayedeh Safiyari Won
2021 Satellite Awards Best Original Screenplay Asghar Farhadi Nominated
Best Foreign Language Film Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi Nominated
2021 Chicago Film Critics Association Best Foreign Language Film Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi Nominated
2021 Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Best Foreign Language Film Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi Nominated
2021 IndieWire Critics Poll Best Screenplay Asghar Farhadi Nominated
Best International Film Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi Nominated
2021 Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards Best International Film Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi Nominated
2021 National Board of Review Best Original Screenplay Asghar Farhadi Won
Best Foreign Language Film Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi Won
2021 North Texas Film Critics Association Best Foreign Language Film Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi Nominated
2021 St. Louis Film Critics Association Best International Film Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi Nominated
2021 Utah Film Critics Association Awards Best Non-English Language Film Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi Nominated
2021 Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards Best Foreign Language Film Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi Nominated
2022 Palm Springs International Film Festival Bridging the Borders Award Asghar Farhadi Won
FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Feature Film Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi Nominated
FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Screenplay Asghar Farhadi Won
FIPRESCI Prize for Best Actor in an International Feature Film Amir Jadidi Won
2022 Chicago Indie Critics Awards (CIC) Best Foreign Language Film Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Asghar Farhadi Nominated
2022 Denver Film Critics Society Best Foreign Language Film Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi Nominated
2022 Columbus Film Critics Association Best Foreign Language Film Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi Nominated
2022 Alliance of Women Film Journalists Best Non-English Language Film Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi Nominated
2022 Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Foreign Language Film Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi Nominated
2022 Golden Globe Awards Best Foreign Language Film Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi Nominated
2022 San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Best Foreign Language Film Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi Nominated
2022 Hollywood Critics Association Best International Film Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi Nominated
2022 North Carolina Film Critics Association Best Foreign Language Film Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi Nominated
2022 Iranian Cinema Directors' Great Celebration Best Film Director Asghar Farhadi Won

See also

References

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External links

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