No good deed goes unpunished in this complex drama

By Diana Beechener

Rahim (Amir Jadidi: Latyan) is presented with a literal golden opportunity on his two-day leave from debtor’s prison in Iran. His girlfriend Farkhondeh (Sahar Goldust in her feature debut) found a handbag containing 17 gold coins. If the duo sells the coins, the money could repay Rahim’s debt and release him from prison.

         Though they initially plan on selling their found treasure, Rahim begins to have doubts. He decides instead to post a notice and give the coins back to their rightful owner. Though this means he’s going back to debtor’s prison, he insists it’s the right thing to do.

         The seemingly selfless deed gets picked up by a few people and soon goes viral on social media. The story of the saintly debtor returning a fortune instead of benefiting from it is shared over and over until the news picks it up and decides to film a story about Rahim. This new media scrutiny seems like a boon at first— groups begin raising money for Rahim, he’s given another special leave, and pressure mounts on his former brother-in-law to forgive the debt.

         But fame turns to infamy quickly when some sections of social media begin to question Rahim’s story. Was his deed selfless? Did it really happen? As doubts rise, Rahim must defend his character from accusations there may be no answers for.

         Writer/director Asghar Farhadi (Everybody Knows) revels in morally complex tales about people with morphing motivations. A Hero continues this trend. The film has a mounting sense of dread as circumstances converge to make life impossible for Rahim and his family. It’s a queasy experience to watch as each character battles against fate, only to be thwarted every time they appear to struggle free.

         But part of the joy and the frustration of watching a Farhadi film is that there are no easy answers. Yes, Rahim is likeable, but he did take a massive amount of money from his brother-in-law and refuse to repay it. The charities are acting out of love when they support Rahim, but how worthy is that love if it is taken away the moment questions are raised? Farhadi pulls at each thread, looking at how social media can build or destroy people on a whim and examining the motives behind so-called selfless acts. The result is a gut-churning tragedy of errors, where even those with the best of intentions can be hurt by their actions.

         At the heart of the film is Jadidi’s masterful performance. His Rahim is handsome, funny, and sweet—but there’s more to the story. As social media digs into his past and his history, troubling facts emerge. He’s defaulted on several loans, he has a history of losing his temper, and even those close to him have been hurt by his tendency to act capriciously. Every problem Rahim encounters is at least in part due to his own actions. It’s a whirlwind of a performance, with Jadidi keeping Rahim from being a hero or a villain. He’s just a man, and one that’s as deeply human as the next.

         Farhadi’s films always feel like an adaptation of Dostoyevsky or Miller (there’s a reason one of his films is called The Salesman). Like those authors, Farhadi loves a narrative trope, and uses them frequently. There’s a sense of crushing reality, grinding all the characters down, in his films. But with Farhadi, there’s also grace. Those that struggle also love and strive. They have deep bonds of family and friends. Though loyalties are tested, love and hope still remain in the world.

It’s because of these rays of hope that A Hero doesn’t fall into total despair. It instead acts as a cautionary tale, warning the viewer to keep an eye on what’s important, and the harms (however seemingly slight) you inflict on others. A deeply human movie with some brilliant acting, A Hero will have you in knots and briming with hope.  

Great Drama * PG-13 * 127 mins.

A Hero is available on Amazon Prime Jan. 21