First Trailer for Mohammad Rasoulof's ‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig'

I saw Mohammad Rasoulof’s “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” on the very last day of Cannes and had to board a flight just hours later. Last month, I rewatched it in a more relaxed state and was instantly struck by the film. It’s a passionate thriller with eerie parallels to today’s world.

Germany recently submitted “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” as its Oscar entry in the Best International Feature race. A trailer has just been revealed by Neon.

We already knew the film wouldn’t be Iran’s selection, Rasoulof escaped that country after being sentenced to eight years in prison, he was also set to be flogged by authorities. Rasoulof is currently staying in Berlin. Given that ‘Sacred Fig’ was backed by German and French money, this selection complies with Academy rules.

‘Seed of the Sacred Fig’ tackles a family man, Iman, living with his two 20-something daughters and wife in a Tehran apartment, who has just been promoted as judge by the Iranian government. However, his promotion comes as the country enters a state of unrest. Riots break out when a girl is killed by authorities for not wearing her hijab, and Iman’s gun suddenly goes missing in the apartment …

Clocking in at almost three hours, Rasoulof’s film tackles a country in distress, the corruption that lies underneath the facade and how, in the middle of all this, the women of Iran try to manage the suppression by living a life of repression.

This is a flawed film, cramming in too much story, but a necessary one, and loaded with these intensely unflinching scenes. What does freedom actually mean when you’re living in totalitarianism, Rasoulof asks. His film, shot in secret, is a rallying cry that keeps springing surprises no review should spoil. I wouldn’t watch the trailer either since it gives away key plot points.

As it stands, the main contenders for the International Oscar seem to be Rasoulof’s “The Sacred Seed of the Fig,” Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Perez,” Magnus von Horn’s “The Girl With the Needle, and Walter Salles’ “I’m Still Here.”