A Hero (Persian: قهرمان, romanized: Qahremaan) is a 2021 Iranian-French drama film written and directed by Asghar Farhadi and starring Amir Jadidi, Mohsen Tanabandeh and Sahar Goldoost.
| A Hero | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Persian | قهرمان |
| Directed by | Asghar Farhadi |
| Written by | Asghar Farhadi |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Ali Ghazi |
| Edited by | Hayedeh Safiyari |
Production company | Memento Films |
| Distributed by |
|
Release dates |
|
Running time | 127 minutes |
| Countries | Iran France |
| Language | Persian |
| Box office | $2.9 million[1] |
The film was selected to the Palm d'Or competition at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, winning the Grand Prix. It was selected as the Iranian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards, and was one of the 15 shortlisted films for the category, but was not nominated.
Plot
editRahim Soltani is temporarily released from prison for a two-day period in order to settle an unpaid debt of 150,000 tomans to his brother-in-law, Bahram. Rahim's lover, Farkondeh, has acquired a lost handbag containing several gold coins, which they both attempt to sell in order to repay the debt, but find that gold has lost value to the point where Rahim cannot repay Bahram in full. In the meantime, he moves in with his sister Malileh and her husband Hossein.
Malileh discovers the handbag and coins and confronts Rahim about it, leading Rahim to pursue the original owner of the handbag and return it to them. After the original owner comes to claim the bag (which Rahim claims he found), Rahim is praised for his selfless act and his story is covered by the media before he returns to prison and becomes a local celebrity. Bahram is immediately suspicious of Rahim's story, believing he is trying to restore his image and leave prison to stop the impending second marriage of his ex-wife. The prison begins to arrange for Rahim's release.
At a charity event to raise money and provide employment for Rahim, Bahram is incensed to learn that less than a quarter of the debt's total has been raised. He explains to the organizers that Rahim, then unable to take out a loan from a bank, received the money from Bahram that he acquired from a loan shark, who he eventually had to repay when Rahim failed to make payments. Despite this, Bahram agrees to have Rahim released for the sake of his estranged son, Siavash.
While applying for his new job, Rahim learns that rumors have begun to spread disputing his supposed discovery and returning of the handbag, prompting Rahim to locate the woman in order for her to confirm his story, though his search is fruitless. Rahim and Malileh plot to have Farkondeh pose as the woman, using details from the actual encounter to validate Rahim's story. The hiring manager produces a text from Rahim to Bahram offering to pay half the debt a week before the day he claimed to have found the bag, leading him to reject Rahim's application.
Certain that Bahram forwarded the incriminating text exchange, Rahim confronts him at his printing shop, but Bahram denies it. After Bahram accuses Rahim of using his son for sympathy, Rahim physically attacks him, and nearby shopkeepers help restrain Rahim while the police arrive. Farkondeh arrives and manages to convince Bahram to let Rahim go.
Rahim is called by the charity organization to inform him of a video made by Bahram's daughter Nazanin, which shows footage of his fight with Bahram while also unveiling his and Farkondeh's relationship. Nazanin threatens to release the video publicly if Rahim doesn't pay his debt in full by the next day. In light of this evidence, Rahim is forced to unveil the truth about the bag. Fearing a scandal, the organization decides to withhold the money raised for Rahim. On the last day of his leave, Rahim is informed by the charity organizer that the funds raised for him will instead be used toward the release of a man scheduled to be executed, and Farkondeh convinces her to tell the media that it was Rahim's idea in order to help him retain some of his honor.
Nazanin's video is released, and Farkondeh's family forbids her from seeing Rahim again. While filming a video about Rahim's most recent “act” of charity to soften the backlash, Siavash is coached into crying on camera by Rahim's parole officer, Salehi, and Rahim, wanting to protect his son, relents and wishes for the video to not be released. When Salehi refuses, Rahim fights him outside until he eventually deletes it. The following morning, Farkondeh and Siavash accompany Rahim back to prison to serve the remainder of his sentence.
Cast
edit- Amir Jadidi as Rahim
- Mohsen Tanabandeh as Bahram
- Sahar Goldoost as Farkhondeh
- Fereshteh Sadr Orafaie as Mrs. Radmehr
- Sarina Farhadi as Nazanin[2]
Production
editMemento Films shopped the rights to the script by Farhadi (born 7 May 1972, Iranian film director and screenwriter) during the 2020 European Film Market in Berlin.[3][4] The film entered pre-production in June 2020 and filmed through December 2020.[5] Production took place in Shiraz. In April 2021, it was revealed that Amazon Studios had acquired rights to distribute the film in the United States.[6][7]
Release
editThe film had its premiere at 2021 Cannes Film Festival on 13 July 2021, as it was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the festival. It was also selected as closing film of the 52nd International Film Festival of India on 28 November 2021.[8][9]
Legal disputes
editA Hero was inspired by the story of Mohammad Reza Shokri, a man who returned a bag of cash he found while on a leave from a debtors' prison in Shiraz,[10][11] although Farhadi has stated in interviews that it "was not inspired by a specific news item".[12][13] Azadeh Masihzadeh made a documentary about Shokri from 2014 to 2015, when she attended a workshop taught by Farhadi on documentary filmmaking at the Karnameh Institute in Tehran. In the course, Farhadi assigned his students to research and film a documentary about people who had found and returned valuable objects to their original owners. According to Masihzadeh, while most students in the class took subjects from a list of excerpts from news media Farhadi provided them with,[10][11] she decided to work in her hometown of Shiraz to save expenses, and an acquaintance told her that she saw a news story about Shokri on local television. Masihzadeh then went to a local newspaper and the TV station that aired the news, obtained permission to film in prison, and met Shokri. Farhadi saw rushes and gave her notes at five sessions over six months. Five projects in the workshop, including Masihzadeh's, were to be consolidated into one film, with Farhadi's involvement obscured so as not to raise too much expectation. Masihzadeh obtained permission from Farhadi to screen her film by itself.[14] Under the title All Winners, All Losers, the film screened at the Shiraz Arts Festival in 2018,[10] where it won the Special Jury Prize. Later, Masihzadeh was told that the collective film had finally been completed and that her segment would not be included if she continued screening her film. With the understanding that Farhadi's name would appear in the credits, she agreed to withdraw her film from festivals.[12]
In August 2019, when Masihzadeh was enrolled in a screenwriting workshop by Farhadi at the Bamdad Institute in Tehran,[12] Farhadi asked Masihzadeh to sign a document stating that the idea for All Winners, All Losers belonged to Farhadi.[11] In the presence of Parisa Bakhtavar, his wife and director of the institute, and secretary Farideh Shafiei,[14] Masihzadeh obliged, which she later said she did under pressure.[11] A lawyer for Memento Films, the French producer and distributor of A Hero, later pointed out that the document had no legal value as "ideas and concepts are not protected by copyright".[10]
In late 2020, Masihzadeh learned that Farhadi was making a film in Shiraz, and tried, in vain, to contact him in the city. After learning the plot of A Hero when it was announced to be in Cannes competition, Masihzadeh sent five people to watch the film at Cannes and report back. She estimated a 70% resemblance based on their report and began posting similarities they spotted on Instagram under the hashtag #a_hero.[14]
In September 2021, Masihzadeh's lawyer sent Farhadi a message stating that her intellectual property rights had been violated and requesting "dialogue and negotiation".[12] A month later, a meeting was held at the House of Cinema, where Farhadi's lawyer told Masihzadeh that she had committed the crime of defamation and that a complaint would be filed against her if she did not delete her Instagram posts. Another meeting took place two days later, this time with Farhadi in attendance, and he accused Masihzadeh of lying and being ungrateful.[12] Farhadi offered to mention her in the end credits as a researcher and pay her roughly $1,600, while she requested that opening credits state A Hero was based on her film and that she share in the film's revenue.[14][12] The House of Cinema's arbitration council issued a decision concluding that Masihzadeh's claim was false.[12]
In early November 2021, Farhadi filed a criminal complaint with the Tehran Culture and Media Court, accusing Masihzadeh of defamation and spreading misinformation. On November 30, 2021, Masihzadeh filed a counterclaim, accusing Farhadi of plagiarism, intellectual property theft, and "illegitimate gains by fraud or abuse of privilege". In January 2022, Farhadi filed another complaint accusing Masihzadeh of defamation and misinformation, in regard to her claim that she was coerced to sign a statement.[12] Masihzadeh claimed that she discovered the story herself and that it had not been reported in national media at the time, while Farhadi's lawyer argued that the story had already been reported in media.[10][15] The manager of the workshop told media that she shares Masihzadeh's recollection.[10][11] A fellow student who attended the workshop also testified in support of Masihzadeh in court, while some other students signed a statement in support of Farhadi denying the allegation.[10] Masihzadeh faced up to one year in prison or 74 lashes,[12] though corporal punishment is rare for first offenders and the prison time may be avoided by paying fines.[16]
Masihzadeh found 56 similarities between her film and A Hero, 49 of which had not been reported in the press, such as the original owner of the money discovering the notice at a bank, her husband's unawareness of the loss of the money, and prison staff's improved treatment of Shokri after he returned the money.[14]
In March 2022, the magistrate for the case issued an opinion finding merit in Masihzadeh's claims, and indicted Farhadi and referred the case to a criminal court, while dismissing Farhadi's complaints and Masizadeh's claim to revenue.[12][15] On 4 April 2022, The Hollywood Reporter erroneously reported that Farhadi had been convicted, which he could not appeal, only to issue a correction stating that he had been merely indicted and that the case would now move to a second judge, whose ruling may still be appealed.[17][18] Farhadi denied the charges in the criminal proceedings.[12] On 13 March 2024, a court issued a verdict acquitting Farhadi of the plagiarism charges, based on the opinion of a panel consisting of three University of Tehran professors specialising in copyright law and four official art experts, which stated that the events depicted in the documentary had been widely reported in media and belonged to the public domain.[19][20][21]
In November 2021, Masihzadeh met Shokri in prison in Shiraz and, with permission, took him to a screening of A Hero, which she had bought out. Shokri saw the film in shackles and handcuffed. He was particularly offended by the film's inclusion of the protagonist's son with stuttering, as he had a brother who had difficulty speaking, who had died after the making of the documentary and whom Shokri had asked Masihzadeh not to film so as not to arouse pity. Shokri filed a complaint against Farhadi for defamation and revelation of personal information, among other charges, stating that he had granted Masihzadeh an exclusive permission to depict his story. The magistrate dismissed the complaint.[12]
Reception
editCritical response
editOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 164 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.0/10. The website's consensus reads: "A Hero finds writer-director Asghar Farhadi once again grappling with weighty themes – with the audience emerging as the winner."[22] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 82 out of 100, based on 39 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[23]
Accolades
edit| Year | Award [24] | Category | Nominated | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Cannes Film Festival | Palme d'Or | Asghar Farhadi | Nominated |
| Grand Prix | Won | |||
| François Chalais Prize | Won | |||
| 2021 | Asia Pacific Screen Awards | Best Feature Film | Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi | Nominated |
| Achievement in Directing | Asghar Farhadi | Won | ||
| Best Screenplay | Asghar Farhadi | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor | Amir Jadidi | Nominated | ||
| 2021 | Valladolid International Film Festival | Best Film | Asghar Farhadi | Nominated |
| 2021 | Montclair Film Festival | Narrative Feature Competition | Asghar Farhadi | Nominated |
| 2021 | Santa Fe Independent Film Festival | Best Narrative Feature | Asghar Farhadi | Won |
| 2021 | Hafez Awards[25] | Best Motion Picture | Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi | Won |
| Best Director – Motion Picture | Asghar Farhadi | Won | ||
| Best Screenplay – Motion Picture | Asghar Farhadi | Won | ||
| Best Actor – Motion Picture | Amir Jadidi | Won | ||
| Mohsen Tanabandeh | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress – Motion Picture | Sahar Goldoost | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography – Motion Picture | Ali Ghazi | Nominated | ||
| Best Editor – Motion Picture | Hayedeh Safiyari | Won | ||
| 2021 | Satellite Awards | Best Original Screenplay | Asghar Farhadi | Nominated |
| Best Foreign Language Film | Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi | Nominated | ||
| 2021 | Chicago Film Critics Association | Best Foreign Language Film | Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi | Nominated |
| 2021 | Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association | Best Foreign Language Film | Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi | Nominated |
| 2021 | IndieWire Critics Poll | Best Screenplay | Asghar Farhadi | Nominated |
| Best International Film | Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi | Nominated | ||
| 2021 | Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards | Best International Film | Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi | Nominated |
| 2021 | National Board of Review | Best Original Screenplay | Asghar Farhadi | Won |
| Best Foreign Language Film | Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi | Won | ||
| 2021 | North Texas Film Critics Association | Best Foreign Language Film | Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi | Nominated |
| 2021 | St. Louis Film Critics Association | Best International Film | Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi | Nominated |
| 2021 | Utah Film Critics Association Awards | Best Non-English Language Film | Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi | Nominated |
| 2021 | Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi | Nominated |
| 2022 | Palm Springs International Film Festival | Bridging the Borders Award | Asghar Farhadi | Won |
| FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Feature Film | Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi | Nominated | ||
| FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Screenplay | Asghar Farhadi | Won | ||
| FIPRESCI Prize for Best Actor in an International Feature Film | Amir Jadidi | Won | ||
| 2022 | Chicago Indie Critics Awards (CIC) | Best Foreign Language Film | Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi | Nominated |
| Best Original Screenplay | Asghar Farhadi | Nominated | ||
| 2022 | Denver Film Critics Society | Best Foreign Language Film | Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi | Nominated |
| 2022 | Columbus Film Critics Association | Best Foreign Language Film | Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi | Nominated |
| 2022 | Alliance of Women Film Journalists | Best Non-English Language Film | Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi | Nominated |
| 2022 | Critics' Choice Movie Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi | Nominated |
| 2022 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi | Nominated |
| 2022 | San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle | Best Foreign Language Film | Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi | Nominated |
| 2022 | Hollywood Critics Association | Best International Film | Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi | Nominated |
| 2022 | North Carolina Film Critics Association | Best Foreign Language Film | Alexandre Mallet Guy and Asghar Farhadi | Nominated |
| 2022 | Iranian Cinema Directors' Great Celebration | Best Film Director | Asghar Farhadi | Won |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "A Hero (2021)". Box Office Mojo.
- ^ "GHAHREMAN". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ Roxborough, Scott (12 February 2020). "Asghar Farhadi's 'A Hero' Heading to Berlin Market". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ Ritman, Alex (21 October 2021). "Oscars: Iran Selects 'A Hero' for International Feature Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
- ^ "Two-time Oscar winner Farhadi's 'A Hero' shooting done". irandaily.ir. 22 December 2020. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ Keslassy, Elsa; Davis, Clayton (30 April 2021). "Amazon Studios Scoops U.S. Rights to Asghar Farhadi's 'A Hero' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ Hashemi, Sepideh (9 June 2020). "Asghar Farhadi casts 2 Iranian leads for "Hero"". Iranian Students' News Agency. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020.
- ^ "Goa to spend Rs 16-18cr on film festival, Centre Rs 9.5cr". The Times of India. 19 November 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "Cannes Film Festival 2021 Lineup: Sean Baker, Wes Anderson, and More Compete for Palme d'Or". IndieWire. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g Roxborough, Scott (23 March 2022). "Did Oscar Winner Asghar Farhadi Steal the Idea for 'A Hero'?". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Malekian, Somayeh (3 April 2022). "Oscar winner Asghar Farhadi accused of plagiarizing latest film". ABC News. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Aviv, Rachel (31 October 2022). "Did the Oscar-Winning Director Asghar Farhadi Steal Ideas?". The New Yorker. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
- ^ Huver, Scott (26 January 2022). "'A Hero': Read The Screenplay For Asghar Farhadi's Latest "Spark" That Became A Movie". Deadline. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Dubreuil, Maroussia (7 June 2022). "Le réalisateur iranien Asghar Farhadi et son film " Un héros " au cœur d'une accusation de plagiat". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 9 June 2022.
- ^ a b Saad, Nardine (5 April 2022). "'A Hero' director Asghar Farhadi accused of plagiarizing film from former student". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ Lattanzio, Ryan (23 March 2022). "Former Student Suing Asghar Farhadi Over Alleged 'A Hero' Plagiarism, Both Risk Jail Time". IndieWire. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ Roxborough, Scott (4 April 2022). "Oscar-Winning Iranian Director Asghar Farhadi Indicted on Plagiarizing Charges for 'A Hero'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (5 April 2022). "'A Hero' Plagiarism Ruling Not Final, Suggests Asghar Farhadi Lawyer; Producer Maintains "Court Will Dismiss" – Update". Deadline. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ Agence France Presse (13 March 2024). "A Separation director Asghar Farhadi cleared of plagiarism claims, says agent". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ^ Roxborough, Scott (13 March 2024). "Iran Verdict Rejects 'A Hero' Copyright Infringement Claim". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ^ Vivarelli, Nick (13 March 2024). "Asghar Farhadi Fully Cleared of 'A Hero' Plagiarism Allegations by Iranian Court". Variety. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ^ "A Hero". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- ^ "A Hero". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- ^ "A Hero Awards". IMDB. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
- ^ "اعلام نامزدهای بخش سینمای بیست و یکمین جشن حافظ". خبرگزاری مهر | اخبار ایران و جهان | Mehr News Agency (in Persian). 16 November 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
