A HERO
spoiler alert
Release date: January 21, 2022 (USA)
Director: Asghar Farhadi
Starring: Amire Jadidi, Sahar Goldoost, Mohsen Tanabandeh, Feresteh Sadr, Sarina Farhadi
Distributed by: Amazon Studios
Awards: Cannes Grand Prix
When we hear the word "hero", the first concepts crossing our minds are people who save the world or save a group of people or a nation from an existing or upcoming danger. Fictional SiFi heroes have drawn a new image in people's minds. An image that starts from the very first years of their lives by watching motion picture works or reading comic books about superheroes like Superman, Batman, Ironman, Spiderman, Wonder woman, etc...
But does a hero really require superpowers and extraordinary skills to be worthy of the name?
How about a sister who quits her job and stays home at times of Covid to take care of her brother with Down Syndrome condition? does this sacrifice make her eligible to get the "Heroine of the year" title? Or how about a father who works double shifts to send his genius daughter to a credible university? or a son who never marries and takes care of her old and sick mother?
These people are the true heroes of their own times, although they are not world-recognized, awarded, or even appreciated. They don't sacrifice to be awarded. They do it because they want to do their best for their loved ones and they want to do the right thing no matter it is in their favor or not.
Asghar Farhadi's "Hero" is about one of these devoted characters. Rahim, who is in prison because of the money he owes to his ex-wife's brother, gets a two-day pass to get out of prison so that he can pay a portion of his debt to Bahram and get released from prison and go back to his son. Prior to getting the pass, Farkhonde, Rahim's girlfriend who is crazy in love with him, notifies him she had found a purse containing 17 gold coins at a bus station. They plan to sell the coins so that Rahim can get released, find a job and pay off the remaining of the debt. When they are about to sell the coins in the jewelry shop, as the store owner wants to give them the paperwork, his pen doesn't write and goes out of ink. Rahim considers this event as a sign that he is not supposed to sell what is not his and he regrets and tells his girlfriend that he wants to find the purse's owner and return her the coins. Farkhonde disagrees at first but once Rahim convinces him he is doing the right thing by returning the purse and going back to prison, they put out notices, and finally, the coins are returned to their owner when Rahim is back in prison.
Once the prison's warden learns what Rahim has done, he calls the press and TV to the prison and arranges interviews with Rahim about what he has done. The chain of events and the rapid changes in the plot gives the hero of our story the face of a devilish conspirator. They make rumors about him so that they can accuse him of plotting the whole scenario to get attention and get released from prison after fundraising.
Rahim has a smile on his face at most of the scenes throughout the movie, showing he is in peace with the world and its people. When they interview his son who has a speech problem and they ask him to cry on camera so that everyone believes him, Rahim disagrees to publish the video as he does not want to use his son as a shield for his own protection. Rahim does not get awarded for doing a chain of right things throughout the story, but deep inside; he is satisfied, although he has to go back to prison and stay away from his love and son.
A hero is the story of a very rare character who values morals and honesty over everything and everyone. In the world ruled over by wolves, he is like a vulnerable innocent sheep trying to protect himself and his loved ones. And his unique reward is the true love he receives from his fiance and disabled son.