A HERO

"You think it's only about what you want? The reputation of all of us is at stake." - Salehi

Duality has always been a central theme in cinema: good vs evil, right vs wrong, the hero vs the villain. In recent years, however, that black and white dichotomy has become blurred, and in the grey area is found a more complex, introspective cognizance. What would you do if an intruder broke into your home? What would you do if you found a bag full of money on the side of the road? ‘A Hero,’ written and directed by Asghar Farhadi following his prolific work in ‘A Separation,’ establishes the muddled bigger picture behind the selfishness and ethics of decision making.

Set in the streets of Iran, ‘A Hero’ follows Rahim Soltani as he is released from prison for a two-day period to settle an unpaid debt. The original plan, with the help of Rahim’s lover, Farkondeh, was to sell a lost handbag she had found containing numerous gold coins. After finding out the gold would not pay a sufficient amount of his debt, Rahim decides to return the handbag to the original owner, and returns to prison no closer to paying his debt. Several news outlets and journalists get wind of this act of selflessness and interview Rahim, propelling him to local stardom. However, many people, including his former brother-in-law debtor, find the story unbelievable and vocalize their disbelief. What proceeds is an anxiety-inducing goose chase of human preservation and the lengths people will go to protect their honor.

Farhadi's strongest narrative distinction in ‘A Hero’ is the fact that he doesn’t choose sides. The storytelling and technical aspects of the film don’t lead the viewer in any direction, the audience decides which party to root for. Throughout the progression of the film, our protagonist Soltani is seen as genial, but temperamental, kind, but selfish. He returns the missing bag to its owner, but uses his son’s stutter to help with public sympathy. His debtor Bahram, the man who put him in jail, is pained and tormented by public outcry when the masses berate him to drop Soltani’s debt, ignoring his hardworking tendencies and passionate disposition to support his family. Both are just wounded fathers trying to keep their families intact and their reputations afloat. So who do you choose? Who is right and who is wrong?

The answer, is no one, because that’s not the point. Life is messy. People are imperfect. In a culture that’s ruled by honor and respect, people will be selfish in order to maintain their dignity. It doesn’t make anyone more or less moral. Farhadi pushes the audience to their limits with this metaphor about human nature. Awareness and understanding set in as the frustrating, panic-driven story unfolds; everyone, including the secondary characters, are making reasonable decisions for their own security. Humans are not inherently good or inherently bad, life is a convoluted, twisted mishmash. Through interconnected story arcs and empathetic thematic decisions, ‘A Hero’ delivers the dissatisfying truth that unfortunate circumstances are to blame, not the people involved.

Duplicity and mob mentality play a central role. Being dealt a losing hand, Soltani is asked to find the owner of the bag to prove he's not lying, but the woman has vanished. As the snowball effect of events transpire, Soltani begins lying to journalists and charity foundations after continuous strokes of misfortune. A labyrinthine of principled dilemmas brings forth desperation and self preservation. Obstacle after obstacle impede everyones ability to make decisions without compromising their own values and betterment. Charities can’t raise money for frauds, debtors can’t excuse large sums of money because of community backlash, a man who returns a bag of gold can’t be credited if he can’t prove it really happened. Call it fate, call it bad luck, unfortunate circumstances establish a relatable reality that influences the livelihoods of every central character.

Humans naturally look for an outlet to take out their anger and frustration, and Farhadi does a uniquely nullifying job by acutely portraying that life is unfair. Simple problems may secretly be saturated with unseen complexities. ‘A Hero’ takes into account its own self referential title. Who deserves to be praised and who deserves to be scolded? Does someone deserve a gilded pedestal by simply just doing the right thing? What makes a hero, a hero?