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There Is No Evil

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Not to be confused with Evil Does Not Exist.

There Is No Evil
Film poster
Directed byMohammad Rasoulof
Written byMohammad Rasoulof
Produced byMohammad Rasoulof
Kaveh Farnam
Farzad Pak
Starring
  • Ehsan Mirhosseini
  • Kaveh Ahangar
  • Mohammad Valizadegan
  • Mohammad Seddighimehr
CinematographyAshkan Ashkani
Edited byMohammadreza Muini
Meysam Muini
Music byAmir Molookpour
Release date
Running time
150 minutes
Countries
  • Germany
  • Czech Republic
  • Iran
LanguagePersian
Box office$824,066[1][2]

There Is No Evil (Persian: شیطان وجود ندارد, romanized: Sheytân vojūd nadârad, lit. 'Shaitan Doesn't Exist') is a 2020 Persian-language drama film written and directed by Mohammad Rasoulof. Banned in Iran, the film relates four stories concerning the death penalty in Iran. It had its world premiere at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Golden Bear.

Plot

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The film is divided into four unrelated episodes.

Episode I: "There Is No Evil"

A man named Heshmat goes about his day—he helps his neighbors rescue their cat, picks up his wife and daughter from work and school, and takes them to see his mother-in-law. He takes them home, where he helps his wife put highlights in her hair in anticipation of a wedding they plan to attend the next day. He wakes early in the morning and drives to work with visible reluctance, where he presses a button that hangs several condemned prisoners.

Episode II: "She Said: 'You Can Do It'"

Pouya, a soldier, is assigned to kill a man and tries to get transferred to a different branch through his brother's contacts with the hour he has left. He and his bunkmates debate about the morality of joining the military, where he points out that he cannot obtain a passport without completing mandatory conscription and therefore cannot legally leave the country. One man points out that, if he wants to leave the country with his girlfriend Tahmineh like he plans, he has to complete his task, while another suggests he stay in the system so he can become a lawmaker and influence the country. Tahmineh presses him over the phone to go through with it.

Another soldier volunteers to take Pouya's place in exchange for fifty million toman to support his sick sister. Their bunkmate argues that the payment won't stop the execution and Pouya is still as culpable, promising to report him if he makes the deal. Out of time, Pouya steals the accompanying soldier's rifle while walking the prisoner to execution and restrains several soldiers while escaping. He meets up with Tahmineh and they drive off happily after he throws the rifle away.

Episode III: "Birthday"

Javad, a young man who is almost finished with his service, plans to propose to his girlfriend Nana at her birthday party. When he arrives, he learns that her family friend and political activist, Keyvan, recently died. Javad is opposed to Keyvan's ideals and is more concerned with if Nana had previous relations with him, while he and her mother discuss the ethics behind refusing certain military orders.

Javad sees a picture of Keyvan and realizes that he executed him for a few days off to see Nana on her birthday. Devastated, he admits this to Nana and she considers attacking him with a rock, but instead asks that he not tell her family. Her father memorializes Keyvan during her birthday dinner and she cries while her family sings to her. Javad affirms his love for her the next day and asks her to forget about it, but she leaves him.

Episode IV: "Kiss Me"

University student Darya visits her aunt and uncle, Zaman and Bahram, at their country home. Unbeknownst to her, Bahram is terminally ill. She frequently inquires as to why he did not pursue a more lucrative career in medicine alongside her father, Mansour, but he avoids the question. He and Darya get in a debate about killing a fox to protect his chickens, where she states she would avoid doing so.

Zaman eventually tells Darya that Bahram is her real father, something that he has been working up the courage to tell her. While Darya packs to leave, they argue and it is revealed that he had to disband his family for their safety after escaping his order to execute a prisoner, sending Darya to be raised by Mansour. He affirms that he would refuse to kill even if he was aware that his now deceased wife was pregnant with Darya. Bahram has a violent coughing fit while the couple drives Darya to the airport, and while Zaman stops to help him, Darya observes a fox in the brush nearby before they get back in the car.

Cast

[edit]

Credits adapted from the film's ending credits.

Episode I

  • Ehsan Mirhosseini as Heshmat
  • Shaghayegh Shourian as Razieh

Episode II

  • Kaveh Ahangar as Pouya
  • Alireza Zareparast as Hasan
  • Salar Khamseh as Salar
  • Kaveh Ebrahim as Amir
  • Reza Bahrami as Ali
  • Darya Moghbeli as Tahmineh

Episode III

  • Mohammad Valizadegan as Javad
  • Mahtab Servati as Nana
  • Anahita Eghbalnejad as Nana's Mother
  • Hassan Tasiri as Nana's Father

Episode IV

  • Mohammad Seddighimehr as Bahram
  • Jila Shahi as Zaman
  • Baran Rasoulof as Darya

Themes

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Rasoulof explained that the film is about "people taking responsibility" for their actions, and that each story "is based on my own experience".[3]

Production

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There Is No Evil was directed by Mohammad Rasoulof.[4][5] Recorded secretly, the film is banned from being shown in Iran.[6]

Release

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The film was shown at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2020.[4]

Farhang Foundation and the UCLA Film & Television Archive released There Is No Evil online from 14 May to 10 June 2021,[7] and it was shown at the 68th Sydney Film Festival, Australia, in November 2021.[8]

Accolades

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Rasoulof was unable to attend as he was jailed and banned from leaving Iran.[10]

References

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  1. ^ "There Is No Evil (2020)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Sheytan vojud nadarad (2020)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Berlin International Film Festival: Iranian film about executions wins top prize". BBC News. 29 February 2020. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  4. ^ a b "The 70th Berlinale Competition and Further Films to Complete the Berlinale Special". Berlinale. Archived from the original on 29 January 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  5. ^ "Berlin Competition Lineup Revealed: Sally Potter, Kelly Reichardt, Eliza Hittman, Abel Ferrara". Variety. 29 January 2020. Archived from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  6. ^ Buddies, 電影筆友 Movie (17 November 2020). "《惡與他們的距離》(There Is No Evil)｜惡魔在哪裏？". Medium. Archived from the original on 21 August 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Farhang Foundation and the UCLA Film & Television Archive present". Farhang Foundation. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  8. ^ a b Jefferson, Dee (14 November 2021). "Sydney Film Festival's top prize goes to Mohammad Rasoulof's There Is No Evil, about capital punishment in Iran". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 1 January 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Berlin Film Festival 2020: There Is No Evil Wins Golden Bear". Variety. 29 February 2020. Archived from the original on 13 April 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  10. ^ "2021年柏林电影节的大咖评委 | DW | 12.02.2021". DW.COM. Archived from the original on 15 February 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
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