At the same time as Iman (Missagh Zareh) is appointed as an investigating judge in Tehran, protests erupt in the streets, startling his two daughters (Mahsa Rostami, Setareh Maleki).

This drama resulted in the director being sentenced to flogging and eight years in prison; no wonder he chose to stay away from Iran. Set during the 2022-2023 protests, footage of it is incorporated in the film and adds to its realistic, tense depiction of how a middle-class family is affected. Loyalties are tested, within the family as well as between the judge and his superiors who chose him for a reason.

A long but engrossing illustration of how the theocracy tears the fabric of a society apart.

2024-Germany-Iran-France. 168 min. Color. Widescreen. Written and directed by Mohammad Rasoulof. Cast: Soheila Golestani (Najmeh), Missagh Zareh (Iman), Mahsa Rostami (Rezvan), Setareh Maleki, Niousha Akhshi. 

Trivia: Original title: Dne-ye anjir-e ma’abed. 

Last word: “The male and female actors touching. Being in the bedroom together and on the bed. Being together in the bath and shower. These are all taboos in Iranian cinema that may seem funny but are boundaries I had to break.” (Rasoulof on artistic resistance in the film, Hammer to Nail)