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Winner of an Oscar twice, the Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi presents his latest film, winner of several international prizes, as has become customary in his career
Behind ‘A hero’ is Asghar Farhadi, responsible for ‘Nader and Simin, a separation’, one of the most awarded proposals in 2011, including the Oscar for best foreign language film. The career of this Iranian filmmaker is endorsed by numerous awards. The festival circuit welcomes each new proposal with its label with open arms. The premiere that concerns us participated in competition in the main section of the Cannes Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize. Farhadi is a regular name at the French event, where he has presented ‘The past’, ‘The salesman’ and ‘Everyone knows it’, with Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz. He is showered with awards. Also presented at the Valladolid International Film Week (Seminci) and at other competitions such as Toronto, the premiere film, well received by critics, recounts the journey of a man locked up in jail for a non-payment complaint. During two days of leave, he visits his family and tries to convince his creditor to have mercy on his soul. Plans don’t go as planned.
Amir Jadidi, Mohsen Tanabandeh, Fereshteh Sadre Orafaiy and Sarina Farhadi star in an idea that arises from the stories that Farhadi has been “reading in the newspapers” for some time, according to the director of the also Oscar-winning ‘The Salesman’. «Stories of ordinary people who attracted the attention of the whole world because they had done something altruistic. These stories often have similar characteristics. ‘A hero’ was not inspired by a specific news story, but he had these stories that appear in the press in mind when I wrote it ». “I always work the same way,” continues the filmmaker. «The stimulus can come from an image, from a feeling, a small plot that will develop over time. Sometimes, all this can stay in the corner of my head, without me knowing that it will become a script one day. Time is a valuable ally. Some of these seeds disappear by themselves, others endure, grow and stay with you as an unfinished process that just waits to be attended to. At this point, an idea begins to surface through scattered note-taking. Then comes the research and the first sketches that indicate the way forward. Almost every story I’ve ever written has played out this way in my head. I don’t recall creating a complete story from scratch with a defined beginning, middle, and end.” ‘A hero’ was the winner of the awards for best foreign film and best original screenplay at the National Board of Review (NBR). In addition, it has been nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes, at the Critics Choice Awards and at the Satellite Awards. It also scooped up three awards at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, including best screenplay and best actor in an international film for Amir Jadidi.
In ‘A hero’ the group scenes, especially with the family, are very natural. “This comes largely from the writing,” explains Farhadi. “It is an unconscious process. This is when the entire crew and cast make every detail of the scene believable and authentic, and strive to bring the script to life. As the behaviors and dialogues of the characters are not unrealistic or based on clichés, the actors do their best to make sure they don’t fall into the trap of superficiality. Indeed, there is a risk that the search for the natural is an artifice in itself. The dividing line is very fine and subtle, and care must be taken not to cross it. Everyday life can be redundant and boring. As a director, you have to make sure that this search for a realistic, almost documentary scene does not overwhelm the slow pace of everyday life.