Iranian directors, with boldness and courage, continue to address the death penalty in their country. The director duo Behtash Sanaeeha and Maryam Moghaddam, already creators of a documentary praised at festivals, “The Invincible Diplomacy of Mr Naderi,” also tackle this painful subject in “The Pardon.”
The filmmakers tell the tragically exemplary story of Nina (played by the co-director), a modern-day Iranian woman who struggles with countless moral and financial difficulties since her husband was executed for a crime he did not commit. Determined to rehabilitate the memory of her late husband, the heroine wages an ongoing battle against local justice and bureaucracy and maintains a conflicted relationship with her family. A family that cannot accept seeing this humble woman live alone and not blindly submit to the laws and customs of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Nina soon meets a mysterious man who claims to have been a close friend of the deceased, but who played a very different role in the latter’s fate. Struggling with intense guilt, this man, whose profession is gradually revealed to the audience, does everything he can to help Nina: searching for new housing, providing material aid, and offering psychological support… The heroine is not indifferent to this “savior,” whose generosity and discreet nature hide many dark areas.
By depicting the ambiguous relationship between these two complex characters and the fierce moral dilemmas they face, “The Pardon,” written and directed with unwavering precision, examines the social and judicial realities of contemporary Iran. Thus, the film takes the viewer on an intense and moving journey that never sacrifices the uniqueness of the protagonists on the altar of the “big” subject.
