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Mohammad Rasoulof’s heartwrenching drama was made entirely under the repressive Iranian state’s radar. It was smuggled to Cannes in 2013 in such secrecy the end credits decline to list the names of any of the film’s cast and crew in order to ensure their safety. A bitter j’accuse based on real events, it tracks two government hitmen on their daily rounds, driving around Tehran, fretting about their children and money problems, and rounding up dissident intellectuals to torture and kill. The victims’ crime is hiding manuscripts one man has written, detailing how the state tried to assassinate a whole coachload of writers and artists by driving them off a cliff. Putting aside the worthiness of its politics, this is also a crackling, tense thriller, graced with beautifully measured performances, that explores with wisdom and sorrow the best and worst in human nature.
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