A Hero – Ghahreman (2021)

Directed by: Asghar Farhadi | 127 minutes | drama | Actors: Amir Jadidi, Mohsen Tanabandeh, Sahar Goldust, Fereshteh Sadre Orafaiy, Ehsan Goodarzi, Sarina Farhadi, Maryam Shahdaei, Alireza Jahandideh, Farrokh Nourbakht, Mohammad Aghebati, Saleh Karimaei, Ali Ranjhairije, Naloumeh Taybarije, Alougamireh Taurbakht , Mohammad Jamalledini, Habib Bakhtiari, Majid Shenavar, Nader Shahsavari, Ashkan Farhadi, Jamshid Forouzani, Hasti Khaledi, Alimohammad Hesamfar, Hosein Ghahremani, Alireza Bonyadi, Sepehr Javidian, Ehsan Mohsenioudyradhi, Fallrahmahoudyda, Fallahsamad Hesamfar,

After the Spanish-language ‘Todos lo saben’ (2018), director Asghar Farhadi returns to his home country Iran with ‘A Hero’. Farhadi’s latest film is not set in the busy streets of Tehran this time, but in the historic city of Shiraz, known for its many mosques and ruins. Farhadi shows with this film that even at this stage of his career he is still a skilled and passionate filmmaker. In addition to being a skillfully made character drama, ‘A Hero’ is also a film about guilt, conscience, penance and social connections. A classic Asghar Farhadi film.

Rahim (Amir Jadidi) has been in prison for some time for debts that he cannot repay. When one day he is given a two-day leave and is allowed to visit his family, he is faced with a difficult choice: his girlfriend Farkhondeh (Sahar Goldust) has found a bag at a bus stop containing several gold coins. After some hesitation, Rahim decides to report the find. When the owner of the bag then makes contact, Rahim is put in the spotlight. Rahim’s selfless act has impressed everyone, from the prison administration to his acquaintances and friends. In the end, even the media is notified and a fundraiser is organized to help him pay his own debts. Only his creditor, his brother-in-law Bahram (Mohsen Tanabandeh), is not convinced of the heroic deed and suspects that Rahim is taking advantage of the situation to clear his own name. This creates complications.

We are all familiar with the phenomenon of everyday people becoming media heroes. These heroes gain fame through seemingly good deeds, which are often captured on cell phones and then posted on social media channels. The deeds usually vary in nature. From small acts, like chatting to a lonely elderly person or buying a sandwich for a homeless person, to bigger acts, like saving someone from the water or donating your monthly salary to a children’s hospital. Most people like a good hero story. That is why we compliment, reward and honor these benefactors. But do we actually know what prompted them to commit these acts?

With ‘A Hero’ Farhadi explores the hidden side of these kinds of hero stories. As time goes by and Rahim’s life is scrutinized, we as viewers begin to doubt the sincerity of our protagonist. Is Rahim who he claims to be, and how clear is his conscience really? Gradually, our perception of him changes. This quite parallels the character arc of his creditor, Bahram. This character had been the villain of the story in a less good movie. We would have resented him for putting obstacles in front of Rahim and would curse him all the time. But Farhadi is not interested in this kind of convention. Thus we learn that Bahram also has reasons to act as he does. When he explains these reasons, they seem justified to us and his behavior is even understandable. Nothing is simple black and white in ‘A Hero’.

Farhadi tells his story at a leisurely pace, creating an intimate and thoughtful atmosphere. He lets scenes play out quietly and sometimes pauses for minutes on dialogues. For all its reserve, ‘A Hero’ is a little less compelling than some of the other Farhadi films, such as ‘A Separation’ (2011) or ‘The Salesman’ (2016), but that doesn’t diminish the quality of this film. ‘A Hero’ poses probing questions about today’s internet era and seems to want to do away with the myth of the modern media hero. The story is set in Iran, but it could just as well have been set anywhere. ‘A Hero’ is therefore quite universal. This is a strong example of craftsmanship and a nice addition to a very successful oeuvre.