‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’: An Iranian Family Man Slowly Transforms Into a Terrifying Figure in Gripping Drama

Sandra Miska

The very real and tumultuous political climate in Iran is explored through the eyes of a fictional family in “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” writer-director Mohammad Rasoulof’s daring drama that slowly becomes a psychological thriller. Iman (Missagh Zareh) is the patriarch of a Tehran family who, after 20 years working as a lawyer, is promoted to investigating judge in the Revolutionary Court. This new position comes with a higher salary and a large government-funded apartment, but also with some major drawbacks. Due to the nature of his work, Iman is expected to remain anonymous, which also means his family must abide by a strict set of rules, including no social media, a big ask for his two daughters. But the real trouble begins after his handgun, issued by the government for his own protection, goes missing.

Iman, who has been honest thus far in his career, is surprised when he gets to his new job and discovers that he is basically to be a government puppet. On his first day, he is ordered to sign a death sentence without doing an investigation. He is then disturbed to learn that his predecessor was fired for refusing to sign the order. It is now clear why investigators are to remain anonymous, as their having the power of life and death over people living under an authoritarian government leaves them vulnerable to doxxing or worse. We initially feels for Iman, because he is backed into such a corner and seems to have little choice but to bend to the will of his employers. Dissenters usually do not get off easily in Iran, something Rasoulof, himself now a political refugee, knows firsthand.

The focus of Rasoulof’s film is not on Iman, but on his family, who are mostly on their own while their patriarch works long hours. There is his loving and loyal wife, Najmeh (real-life activist Soheila Golestani), and their two daughters, college student Rezvan (Mahsa Rostami) and teen Sana (Setareh Maleki). The girls are sympathetic to the protestors who wish to see the downfall of a government that forces women to wear hijabs, and even worse. Rasoulof splices in actual footage of protests and incidents of police brutality that the young women view on their phones. While the mainstream media censors what is happening, we see here how clever and determined young people circumvent censorship using social media and VPNs. 

Najmeh is the most intriguing character, as there seems to be a lot going on underneath her surface, a great deal of inner turmoil. Outwardly, she is this obedient wife and model Iranian citizen, someone who believes whatever the news tells her. She and her daughters discuss the real-life case of activist Masha Amini, who died under suspicious circumstances while in police custody. The obvious explanation is foul play, though Najmeh buys that is was a stroke, the official cause of death given by the government. But does she really believe what she tells her daughters, or does she buy into the propaganda out of fear? Golestani plays her role so brilliantly as it becomes increasingly clear that she cannot be both the wife Iman wants and a protective mother to her girls. Her first test comes when Rezvan brings home her best friend, free-spirited dorm-dweller and feminist Sadaf (Niousha Akhshi).

Iman is too busy to keep track of what his wife and daughters get up to during the day, but tension slowly builds inside the home, leading to the first cracks to finally appear when Rezvan boldly challenges her father at the dinner table. But the real drama for the family unfolds after Iman’s gun goes missing from their home. This is not the States where firearms are aplenty, he could get into real trouble for this, possibly a three-year prison sentence. Rasoulof keeps us at the edge of our seats as Iman resorts to increasingly desperate and terrifying measures to get to the bottom of what happened.

Najmeh remains the most interesting character to watch as she realizes that even she is not immune to being harmed by an oppressive patriarchy, especially when it is right there sleeping in her bed. As the walls close in on her, she comes to the realization that she cannot protect her daughters if she herself is not protected. “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” is 168 minutes in length, but no line of dialogue written by Rasoulof is filler, no scene not important. All of this build-up inside their home leads to a shocking third act as Iman takes the family on an impromptu road trip, eventually reaching a point of no return.

“The Seed of the Sacred Fig” releases Nov. 27 in New York and Los Angeles.