Rasoulof examines the patriarchy and religious law in the microcosm of the family in The Seed of the Sacred Fig. For some it can be a tough watch, as it incorporates actual footage from the 2022 protests in Iran following the death Masha Amini who died while in police custody, charged with improperly wearing her hijab.

The story follows Iman (Misagh Zare) who is going to reveal to his family that he works as an investigator for the Revolutionary Court. And he now has to carry a gun for his protection.

His wife, Najmeh (Soheila Golestani) is supportive of her husband, and works to keep the family together, seemingly sacrificing everything about herself to make sure Iman is happy. They have two daughters, college student Rezvan (Masha Rostami) and high schooler, Sana (Setareh Maleki).

As the two daughters watch the horror of the protests unfold, and the violence that is doled out by the theocratic government, they drift from their father’s strongly held beliefs, and begin to chafe at the strictures that their society has put upon them.

Drama enough right there, and it’s brilliantly executed offering a commentary on a sadly ongoing situation, but things are amplified by the disappearance of Iman’s gun, which could see him jailed for three years.

But who took it?

His wife has his utmost confidence, his daughters are too innocent to even know he has a gun in the house… There are secrets and lies riddled throughout the family, and it encourages a paranoia that threatens to consume Iman, and the entire family.

The younger generations aren’t interested in the patriarchal laws that govern their country, restricting their dress, their actions, they want choice, they want freedom, and nothing demonstrates that better than the costume choice of a Disney hoodie in the last third of the film.

And speaking of the last third, the tension gets amped up as Iman’s true nature becomes more prominent in his interactions with his family, and he goes so far as to have his family interrogated about who took the gun. And who is lying to him.

It’s a brilliantly crafted film, with gorgeous locations, and a glaring look at life within a horrifying reality, made all the more brutal and heart-wrenching by the actual protest footage incorporated in the film.

Smart, powerful, and a truly staggering watch, The Seed of the Sacred Fig clocks in at just under three hours and engages the viewer every step of the way. Rasoulof and his cast deliver a stand-out and important film that demands just as much from its viewers as it does its characters.

The Seed of the Sacred Fig screens Wednesday and Thursday night at TIFF.