THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG is one of this year’s most challenging films. Several moments in it are captivating and should put audiences on the edge of their seats. Yet, those scenes are followed by tedium and boredom that will make them believe they might actually be watching the seed of a fig tree grow in real time.
The magic of THE SEED OF THE SACFRED FIG is thanks to director Mohammad Rasoulof. He risked jail and has been exiled from Iran for the way the film depicts law enforcement. The story is important as it deals with the factual Iranian protests in 2022-23. So, despite my mixed feelings about FIG, I can’t deny that Rasoulof poured his “soul” into this picture.
Most reviews discuss how THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG breaks the 4th wall – and they should be. The best cinema allows audiences to feel like they are walking in other people’s shoes, creating empathy. The 4th wall hat trick allows just that, as audiences watch the Iranian protestors in the claustrophobic apartment with the fictional characters. It’s the reason to stick around through the laborious 166-minute runtime.
At about the hour mark, I loved THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG. Then, as the “smoking gun” plot continued to blast into the story, things got bogged down. The three lead women’s stories are far more interesting than Rezvan’s. This is because the Iran protests were about women’s rights, not men’s.
I respect that people risked their lives making this movie. However, I wish the result was better than the story behind it.
It’s available in limited theatrical release.