A Hero
Why are the films of Asghar Farhadi, the foremost chronicler of his Muslim country, especially recommended to Christian viewers? Perhaps one reason is that Farhadi doesn’t shy away from illustrating the gaps between the principles and values that inform the culture and its citizens and their actual practice. This feature of his films feels all the more remarkable given the way Iran has dealt with other artists, Jafar Panahi for example. A Hero is about a man imprisoned for debt who comes across a windfall and struggles to do the right thing as he understands it. His attempts at honesty trigger a series of consequences that suggest that any attempts to honestly live out the teachings of a demanding religious (or civil) system expose the gulf between that system’s ideals and its compromises. More disturbing still are the ways in which the religious values are merged with political expediency as those with power use the religious teachings to justify self-serving actions or attitudes. Christians could do worse than looking to Farhadi’s films for an object lesson on the Pauline argument that the primary function of the law is to reveal our need for grace. A system that makes universal demands on its members but doles out grace unevenly creates a growingly cynical populace that may come to see the highest expressions of truth as simply chains and fetters used by the rich and powerful to further oppress the meek. — Kenneth R. Morefield (2021)
Arts & Faith Lists:
2021 Arts & Faith Ecumenical Jury