Watch the trailer for Asghar Farhadi's 'A Hero' here

WORDS Elyssa Kostopoulos PHOTOGRAPHY Instagram PUBLISHED Wed, 3 Nov 2021 - 4:47 pm

Asghar Farhadi is no stranger to Hollywood. The two-time Oscar winner is widely regarded as one of Iran's greatest living filmmakers, and with good reason. Now, he's back with his official entry into the race for Best International Feature – a category he's had no issue dominating before – with his latest film A Hero.

Set to be released by Amazon Studios come October 28; the film first premiered to audiences at Cannes Film Festival, with unsurprisingly rave reviews. A Hero is set in Iran and follows the story of Rahim (Amir Jadidi), a man imprisoned for debt. Much like the rest of Farhadi's catalogue, the film explores the social and class structures of modern Iran; and the complex intersections of gender, class, and religious differences that play a defining role.

Interested to know more? Here's everything we know so far about A Hero.

What is A Hero about?

During a two-day leave from jail, (where he is imprisoned for fraud), Rahim catches up with his girlfriend, who’s found a purse with gold coins. Although initially contemplating using the coins to pay off his debt, the good samaritan within him takes over; returning the purse to its owner. After finding out about their inmates good deed, the prison seises this as an opportunity for television publicity, making Rahim a local hero.

But the high doesn't last long – the narrative quickly spiralling out of control, threatening his family’s reputation in town over a misunderstanding.

Speaking to Deadline earlier this year, Farhadi spoke about using his films as a vessel for touching on complex social issues.

“No film really can claim that it shows the whole society of a country, especially a country like Iran that has a very long history. And if you do a movie well, that movie can show a very small portion of that society. That’s why I don’t really like to judge any society based on one movie.”

Watch the trailer for A Hero below.

A Hero is set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video on January 21. In the meantime, you can watch the full trailer and get acquainted with Farhadi's latest Oscar-pipped tale below.