A Man of Integrity
A farmer in northern Iran struggles to protect his property and community from a corrupt corporation, in the new film from Mohammad Rasoulof (Manuscripts Don’t Burn).
Having distanced himself from urban life since years ago, Reza has turned to goldfish breeding as his main occupation. Together with his family, somewhere in a deep countryside natural setting, his breeding farm provides him a way of life, calm and quiet. Yet, the farm’s administration having recently met a series of difficulties, he tries to circumvent them while avoiding to fall into the trap of a corrupt nexus of human relations.
A MAN OF INTEGRITY fits well into the modern realist film tradition in Iran, but while some of his colleagues are more indirect in their criticism of the Iranian society, Rasoulof presents a down right explicit system critique. Hence, none of Rasoulof’s films have been screened in Iran and the director has a pending jail sentence for filming without a licence. A MAN OF INTEGRITY won the ‘Un Certain Regard’ Award at Cannes 2017.