14/07/2021 - CANNES 2021: The Iranian director, quite the hero himself, is back in his home country after his Spanish sojourn Everybody Knows

(© duchili)

A Hero [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Asghar Farhadi
film profile] is the deceptive title of one of the highly anticipated entries in this year’s competition line-up at the Cannes Film Festival. Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, quite the hero himself, is back in his home country after his Spanish sojourn Everybody Knows [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], again diving deep into the vagaries of Iranian life, this time through the struggles of a debtor sentenced to jail, staging a scenario of heroism in order to gain his freedom.

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Cineuropa: Can you give a short account of your journey from your last international film to this very Iranian story?
Asghar Farhadi: Well, after the Spanish film, I was supposed to work abroad again on another project, but when I got back to Iran, I felt the need to do something at home, and this is a story that I’d had in me for a while. Going back to the environment you know best, where your friends are and where you grew up, is always comfortable and very fruitful. At the same time, I’ve never been able to say what is best – is it easier to make a film in Iran or abroad? I don’t know. There’s advantage and inconvenience on both sides. But overall, I think I prefer to make films in Iran.

Can you talk about your choice of the city of Shiraz as the setting for the story?
It’s a very special place, beloved by Iranians. It represents the glory of the past, which Iranians are very nostalgic about these days, because of the pre-Islamic heroes and monuments, but also the great Islamic poets that came later. It represents a kind of national pride, and the weight of this pride gives a specific connotation to the theme of the film, an aspect that it wouldn’t have got if it had taken place in Tehran.

The people in Shiraz are very relaxed and are much more uncomplicated in their way of life. We shot a scene at a gold-dealer shop with a crew of around 60 people. There was gold all over the place, and the owner wasn’t there. At one point, I got worried about this guy leaving us here with all this gold. I found him across the street, enjoying the shade. That’s the perfect description of the Shiraz mentality: very cool people.

This is perhaps best embodied in the film by Rahim’s friendly brother-in-law, Hossein.
Yes, an embodiment of pure and simplistic innocence. That you wouldn’t find in Tehran.

Rahim’s “career” as a hero is shown through his exposure on both television and social media, which in turn is shown in a specific Iranian context. How did you approach these phenomena?
As realistically as possible. Iranians who watch this film will see the social media in a different way because it’s a place where one can express oneself quite freely. It’s controlled but not by the hands of the government. Television certainly is, and when people say, “You’re on TV,” it means you’re on the side of the government and, in this case, seen as a hero from their point of view. In contrast, social media is the popular way of exchanging ideas – a little guerrilla-like.

Rahim is in prison because of his other brother-in-law, to whom he owes a debt. And who seems to be able to annul the sentence as well. How does this system work?
Very differently from Europe. If you owe someone money and they file a complaint, then you may go to jail. But the day after, if they say they don’t want the money, you’re free. It also applies to murder: if the family of the victim decides to forgive the killer, he may be released from prison. It’s a system driven by anger and prejudice. Through these emotions, you’re supposed to make a very important decision on someone’s destiny. It’s not fair.

“Farhadi has made a very Farhadi film.” What would you say to this description of A Hero?
It’s told through my very spontaneous, personal and organic way of storytelling, no matter the theme. This is my accent and my intonation, and I don’t put up any resistance to that. But every time, I try to develop different aspects in order to explore the entirety, and to add new nuances, so that it doesn’t become a re-run.