Un homme intègre

Excellent Man vs. Society vs. Man vs. Self. Elegant, understated, it keeps its cool and steadily adds up to the finale. What can a man do? What can a man of integrity do?

Maddening at first, as corruption and neglect accumulate and people "follow orders", but the story-telling is smart, gentle, it shows just enough, never more than necessary, so most of the tension happens in the viewers mind.

The leading couple is awesome. Maybe too perfect, even. Such a serious film, brave and important, and surprising and fascinating, if a bit fatalist too, about the future, and present, maybe.

I attended this film at a packed theater at the Films From the South Festival (FFSF) in Oslo in November 2017, and this s the first of the films Mohammad Rasoulof has made that i've seen. this film was awarded at the Cannes Festival, and participated in the main program in FFSF, and was smuggled out of Iran. The director was to present the film at the festival, as well as doing a Q&A afterwards, but couldn't show due to his passport was taken away from him just before he was to leave.

The film is about a family of three trying to get by by using his land to produce fish, but is challenged by a mysterious company which corrupts the entire society, even the police and justice system. A film about the little man not ready to bow for the suppression. he actually has to join to get by.

This is a well made film, and not a very happy one. The story telling is quiet and quite slow, but has it's dramatic parts. A good and important film, from a re-known film maker in a country which needs this kind of films. Still the film had a little trouble in engaging me.

A story of courage & defiance in the face of state corruption & grave injustice that also touches on themes of ego, honour, morality & principles, A Man of Integrity is a quietly escalating thriller bolstered by stirring performances that shows what it means to be a decent man in an indecent world and the steep price one pays for challenging the powers that be in a system where money trumps morals.

Written & directed by Mohammad Rasoulof (The Seed of the Sacred Fig), the film is an incisive critique of Iran's authoritarian regime, and holds nothing back in its portrait of the moral decay within the bureaucracy. Brimming with tension & laced with raging intensity, this socio-political drama is almost always on verge of eruption and captures the destruction of the soul of a man trying to do the right thing.

Complemented by Rasoulof's restrained direction & splendid cinematography, the film depicts the unfairness of the whole ordeal our protagonist undergoes simply for refusing to give in but then in an effort to demonstrate how deeply rooted the issues are, the story is branched out a tad too much and is unevenly paced as well. Committed work from the cast is what holds this picture together and the actors play their roles responsibly.

Overall, A Man of Integrity is a powerful & provocative outing from the dissident filmmaker that takes a strong jab at authoritarianism with its fearless approach and does what it set out to do. The inconsistent pace, relaxed editing & overlong narrative does hurt the experience yet for the most part, it is a valiant effort from Rasoulof who refuses to let his work be dictated by those in power. In short, this incendiary social critique comes definitely recommended.

As per my title for this review, it feels like a film where absolute corruption just consumes everything - the police, local religious and community leaders and even the one man of integrity left.

The film does a fine job from plot to cinematography to casting. IF a man glowers better than Reza Akhlaghirad in any country or any language, I'd like to know. We know shades of him, but his piety (not necessarily denominational) is as prominent a feature on his face as his permanent 5 o'clock shadow.

His partner, the beautiful Soudabeh Beizaee, offers devotion and grace, but introduces the idea of maybe there being some gray space between the ideal and the real.

But make no mistake, this film points out the gigantic gap between the two. So the film does not surprise on that main arc, and we side in prison cells and elsewhere with our stubborn hero.

The film could have been didactic, but the actors certainly embrace their roles. The subplot of the daughter for the local "boss" interacting with the wife/teacher - and Reza (the actor and character share the same name, perhaps casting was not just based on jawline but deeper than skin?) has a journey to Tehran as part of his awakening on how pervasive the corruption is, and what it does to "good people."

Will he fight the power to a bitter end, or will it be a "you can't beat them so join them" - even if you may guess, the film is eminently watchable.

Add in a sort of Soprano's in Iran feel, and a possible homage to Tarkovsky (a house in flames), and definitely the symbolic nature of water. Are there really such underwater hot spring cave confessionals, Reza's body language - and direction - changes on the last shot from there.

All well done.

But to me the minor miracle - this was filmed *in Iran* where the director's films have been banned afaik. While this is well off the screen, it offered me some small solace and hope - perhaps like here in the US, graft and corruption are pervasive, but in Iran may be there are ways for a more complicated and civilized man, farmer or film director to exist.

Not flourish per se, but corruption while dominant may not be as absolute as we fear?

Most of critics attend to political weight of the movie and political messages which it delivers. But apart from politics, the movie is a masterpiece in form and narration style. Each scene has been worked on and made with obsessive precision and all these finesse and details are what make it big big work. Actors & actresses are also top notch, although they're mostly rookie and some even first time acting in a movie. Atmosphere of the movie is also well designed and truly synchronizes and delivers with the narration. Only problem i saw in the movie was that in some points Director goes so far and makes unnecessary endeavors to delivers his thoughts to viewer, like he doesn't assume to viewer be intelligent enough to take the message by him/herself. But this small deficiency doesn't make me to hesitate to give the movie an absolute 10 rating. Well done Mr Director.