Asghar Farhadi can be seen on screen via zoom. Recent developments in his native Iran prevented the two-time Oscar winner (for “Best Foreign Language Film”) from accepting the Werner Herzog Prize in person in Munich. So he sits in Los Angeles and quotes Bertolt Brecht: “Unfortunate is the country that needs heroes.” This quote was one of the initial sparks for him to make the film “A Hero”, for which his colleague Werner Herzog honored him that evening. That was decided long before the current protests, says Herzog with his unmistakable murmur. He, who recently turned 80 and looks the same as ever, made his way from the USA to his native city of Munich.
“There are films that you don’t remember the next day, but few stick with you in the long run,” explains Herzog. “A Hero – The Lost Honor of Lord Soltani (Original: Ghahreman)” belongs to the latter. The film had really taken hold of him, had become a part of him. He sees Farhadi as a uniquely empathetic filmmaker, his film “Hero” in a millennia-old tradition of the search for truth as in ancient tragedies or poems by the great Persian poet Hafez.
Amir Jadidi in the role of Amir, who is desperately trying to pay off his debts in the film “A Hero”.
(Photo: Munich Film Museum)
The story of this falling hero is simple: a man imprisoned for large debts – Iran has such legislation – is released for a short time to get a chance to somehow pay off his debts. He finds a handbag with gold coins, but doesn’t use it to buy his freedom. He looks for the owner and returns the bag. He is publicly celebrated as a hero for this, until minor inconsistencies in his descriptions lead to everything turning against him. Farhadi criticizes the regime in a way that is coded for Western eyes; when it comes to the protagonist’s suicide in prison, it happens casually. His girlfriend only wears the full body veil if she has something to hide underneath.
Werner Herzog at the Bavarian Film Prize in Munich’s Prinzregententheater.
(Photo: Johannes Simon)
Herzog awards the EUR 5,000 prize once a year in cooperation with the Munich Film Museum. The statutes state: “The prize can be awarded to feature films, documentaries, “to a filmmaker, actor or to persons of any nationality who work with courage, determination and vision in and around film.”
The courage and determination with which women in Iran are currently protesting against the regime and risking their lives in the process also preoccupies the two filmmakers. “The violence of the images breaks your heart,” says Werner Herzog, “these women want to determine their own fate.” Asghar Farhadi, who tells how he constantly follows the news, “called on all artists in a video to react”. He dedicates his award to all those fighting for freedom and civil rights in Iran. “I am hopeful that they will succeed.”
the Retrospective Asghar Farhadi is on at the Film Museum with numerous of his films until November 19th.