A Hero

Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, whose intricate dramas A Separation and The Salesman both won Oscars, returns with another gripping, incisive study of human frailty. In this year’s Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix winner, Rahim (Amir Jadidi) languishes in prison for an unpaid debt but hopes that he can pay what he owes after his girlfriend stumbles on a bag of gold coins. When the found money proves far more complicated than expected, Rahim’s unusual response sends A Hero on an unpredictable journey. Farhadi methodically maps out a moral dilemma, astutely examining how folk heroes put on pedestals can be quickly knocked off them. Jadidi’s excellent performance is one of increasing anxiety and nicely modulated ambiguity, and Farhadi constantly shifts our loyalties, resulting in a fascinating portrait of a world in which everyone owes something to someone.