Director is Satisfied: “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” takes root in darkness

Director is Satisfied: “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” takes root in darkness

Culture, People

3 min.

Ficus Religiosa—a plant with an unusual life cycle. Its seeds, dispersed by birds, fall ontoother trees and, as they germinate, extend their aerial roots earthward. The new branches entwinearound the host plant, strangling it until the sacred fig stands autonomous. According to legend, it was under such a tree that Buddha Gautama achieved enlightenment. But what does this have to do with Mohammad Rasoulof, his new film, and today’s Iran?

Director is Satisfied: “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” takes root in darkness | London Cult.
Poster of  “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,”

Imans path seems divinely blessed: hes beenappointed as an investigator in the Revolutionary Courta structure that prosecutes people for attempting to overthrow the government. At first, signing death sentences without reviewing cases feels unprofessional, but theres no other way to secure a three-bedroom apartment and advance toward becoming a judge. The position also demands living in constant tension, a pistol always within reach: amidst mass protests in Tehran, a database containing personal information of regime agents has been leaked.

Director is Satisfied: “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” takes root in darkness | London Cult.
Still from “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,”

In The Seed of the Sacred Fig,the inner life of a single family mirrors the sociopolitical turmoil of the country in which it existsa nation plagued with paranoia, violence, and injustice. Najmeh, Iman’s wife, strives to maintain domestic life, preserving rather than nurturing traditional ways. But for whom? Both their daughters, Sana and Rezvan, familiar with the other worldthrough social media, resist imposed values. I know the truth because I live in this country and I have eyes,21-year-old Sana tells her father during dinner.

Director is Satisfied: “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” takes root in darkness | London Cult.
Still from “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,”

The narrative’s slow-burning tension ignites with the disappearance of the pistol, which Iman routinely places in the bedside table each night. Who among the familiar faces has become the catalyst for rebellion, driving the film into thriller territory with interrogations, chases, and raw domestic violence? Confronted with catastrophe, three womenmother and daughtersforge new unity and transition from passivity to various forms of disobedience.

Director is Satisfied: “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” takes root in darkness | London Cult.
Still from “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,”

The making of The Seed of the Sacred Fig alsostands as an act of disobedience. Rasoulof created it in secret, violating censorship during a brief two-month window between his release from prisonwhere he served time for his previous workand another impending trial. Hisrefusal to withdraw the film from Cannescompetition triggered the regimes full wrath: an eight-year sentence, property confiscation, and public flogging. Yet, with forged papers, Rasoulof managed to escape the country; his film and act of resistance earned him a fifteen-minute standing ovation at the Cannes premiere.I have never witnessed an audience applaud repeatedly during a screening,Rasoulof reflected, having appeared on the red carpet carrying photographs of Missa Zareh and Soheila Golestaniactors forbidden from leaving Iran. The applause, notably, first swelled at Imans untoward Quranic quotation, then thundered even longer at Sanas defiant no to her fathers challenge: I have served this regime for twenty years; don’t you think I understand the situation better?

Director is Satisfied: “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” takes root in darkness | London Cult.
Still from “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,”

Universal human yearningsfor security and libertypulse as strongly in Iran as anywhere else. Children there share the same fundamental need for parental love and understanding. By centering his narrative on youth, Rasoulofsuggests that society needs to rebuild itself on more rational foundations, while the old order must wither. The new generationseeds of imminent transformationhas already sent itsaerial roots into the edifice of authority.

Director is Satisfied: “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” takes root in darkness | London Cult.
Still from “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,”

Rasoulofs approach inverts the provocative motifs found in absurdist classics like Ferreris Dillinger is Dead and Khotinenkos Makarov, where artists become owners of a guna symbol of power. Which poses the greater threat: a poet armed with a weapon, or a regime loyalist stripped of one? Such questions, it is to be hoped, shall remain confined to rhetoric’s domain. As for the visual modesty of The Seed of the Sacred Fig,it reads not as limitation, but as conscious design. Such cinema transcends traditional aesthetic judgment; it need not dazzle with inventionit simply needs to exist.

Director is Satisfied: “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” takes root in darkness | London Cult.
Still from “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,”
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