By Nils Skudra
Three years ago, I watched Septembers of Shiraz, a 2015 film directed by Wayne Blair which portrays an affluent Jewish family in Tehran whose lives are profoundly changed by the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Starring Adrien Brody and Salma Hayek-Pinault, the film focuses on Isaac Amin, the family patriarch who is arrested and struggles for survival in a secret prison while his wife Farnaz tries to secure his release and make sense of the revolution’s causes. I feel that this film is particularly relevant today considering the current antagonism between Israel and Iran, which poses a very real likelihood of all-out war, given that they have launched missile strikes against each other amidst the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist organizations. Upon seeing this film, viewers may find significant parallels between the depicted history and current events.
The film opens with Isaac (Brody) and Farnaz (Hayek-Pinault) hosting a farewell party for their son Parviz, who is departing for boarding school in the U.S., on the eve of the Iranian Revolution. It is a festive atmosphere, with both Jews and Muslims in attendance, and the Amins seem to have no inkling of the coming upheaval. Six months later, however, Isaac is anxiously following a television broadcast about the political repression under the Ayatollah Khomeini’s Islamic fundamentalist regime, which has not only imprisoned or executed former members of the deposed Shah’s government but also many of the opposition elements who had helped lead the revolution. This prompts an argument between Farnaz and Isaac, who accuses her of turning a blind eye to the events around them and warns that they will eventually be targeted as well. Farnaz, on the other hand, feels that they must retain their sanity and sense of calm by keeping their heads down, particularly for the sake of their children.
Isaac makes an effort to comply with Farnaz’s wishes by attending to his gemology business while keeping himself aloof from politics. However, things take a frightening turn when he is arrested by members of the Revolutionary Guards, who will not disclose the charges, and brought to a secret prison for political dissidents. The prison guards conceal their identities by wearing hoods over their faces, and Isaac is interrogated by an officer named Mohsen (Alon Aboutboul), who is mysteriously missing one finger. He questions Isaac about his business ventures and his trips to Israel, now an enemy of Iran, but Isaac affirms his innocence, maintaining that he has never been involved in any political activities. Mohsen shows him an article written by Farnaz, stating that it is a piece of propaganda in praise of alcohol (forbidden under Islamic law), but Isaac insists that she only wrote as an occasional freelancer and that neither of them is guilty of any wrongdoing.
When Farnaz learns of Isaac’s arrest, she goes with her housekeeper Habibeh (Shohreh Aghdashloo) to the prison to visit him, but Mohsen refuses to disclose Isaac’s whereabouts or the charges against him, coldly stating: “The time when people like you could demand things from people like us is over.” This vindictiveness is further elaborated upon in Farnaz’s subsequent encounter with Habibeh’s son Morteza (Navid Navid), Isaac’s former employee who has joined the Revolutionary Guards, when he is overseeing the confiscation of diamonds and jewelry from the office. When Farnaz protests against the false allegations that her husband exploited his employees, Morteza pointedly tells her: “This is not just about one man. It’s about a whole collection of men. You benefited from a corrupt regime and traveled to places the rest of us never even dreamed of visiting.” Together with her encounter with Mohsen, this statement compels Farnaz to gradually come to terms with the fact that she and Isaac lived in luxury while turning a blind eye to the political repression and social inequalities under the Shah’s regime, which resulted in the revolution, but nonetheless she continues to defend her husband’s innocence.
As Isaac languishes in prison, he reflects upon the state of the country in conversation with his fellow inmates, questioning the revolutionary leaders’ claims that they will restore Iran’s greatness. He looks back to the time of Cyrus the Great, then emperor of the Persian Empire, when all inhabitants enjoyed freedom of religion and interacted equally as neighbors, to which one prisoner replies: “That was 2,500 years ago. We think we are special because we were once great. Now we are barbarians.” This resonates with Isaac due to the unconscionable physical and psychological torment that he and the other prisoners are subjected to, making it clear in his mind that the regime has brought Iran to the level of barbarism. Nonetheless, he finds moments of humanity among his captors, such as a masked guard who provides him with water and fresh bandages for his feet after a whipping and tells him that Mohsen was once imprisoned and tortured by SAVAK, the Shah’s secret police, which resulted in the loss of his finger and possibly his ability to have children, although he remarkably managed to have a son whom he plays with in the office above Isaac’s cell. The guard then gives Isaac a copy of the Koran, encouraging him to have hope and faith since these were critical to Mohsen’s survival in prison.
Isaac’s ordeal nearly drives both him and Farnaz to the breaking point, as Farnaz is forced to relinquish family valuables to the Revolutionary Guards when they search the home. She finally tells Parviz over the phone about his father’s predicament but urges him to stay in the U.S., where he is safe, and promises that the family will be reunited once they get out of Iran. Meanwhile, Isaac undergoes one last interrogation with Mohsen, in which he still maintains his innocence but confesses that he was guilty of pursuing material wealth, conceding that it brought him nothing in the end. The subsequent dialogue between the two men is highly meaningful because of what it reveals about Isaac’s development:
Mohsen: “I once sat in a chair very similar to the one you’re in. Now that the tables have turned, why should I have mercy on you?”
Isaac: “Because I have nothing to do with the people who caused you pain.”
Mohsen: “Oh, but you do. You looked the other way.”
Isaac: “Yes, you’re right about that. I… I was blind. I recognize that now. But, please, brother, if you say that you sat in the same chair as me, then you must know my fear. And more than that, my despair at never seeing my family again.”
Mohsen: “I not only know your fear, I can smell it. Afraid I’ve gotten addicted to it.”
Isaac: “Then you are as much a prisoner today as I am. Your mercy may liberate me from these walls, but more than that, it will save you from yourself.”
This exchange is truly profound since it demonstrates how Isaac has grown to empathize with his captors, as difficult as that might seem in light of his horrific circumstances. Although he has been deprived of his family and has suffered cruel mistreatment during his incarceration, Isaac has developed a consciousness of the suffering that many of his captors experienced under the Shah’s regime, which he was previously oblivious to. Consequently, instead of seeking revenge, he appeals to Mohsen’s humanity with the argument that showing mercy will redeem him from his own vindictiveness. This prompts a change in Mohsen’s demeanor, as he removes his hood so that they can truly see each other, face-to-face, and asks Isaac what it would take to prove his innocence. Isaac replies that he can donate his entire life savings to the revolutionary cause in exchange for his freedom, which sets in motion a chain of events leading to his family’s harrowing escape near the film’s climax.
A highly intense and powerful film, Septembers of Shiraz delivers a compelling portrayal of the repression that impacted Iranian Jews and other political dissidents in the wake of the Iranian Revolution. Brody delivers a superb performance, perhaps his finest since The Pianist, brilliantly capturing Isaac’s struggle to survive and retain his humanity under inhumane conditions, and Hayek-Pinault gives a stellar portrayal of Farnaz, who refuses to lose hope in spite of the emotional toll that she suffers from her husband’s incarceration. In addition, the film provides a nuanced portrait of the Iranians involved in the revolution, highlighting the grievances that motivate their actions, although it does not condone these actions in any way. Furthermore, the film offers poignant commentary into the causes of Iran’s current relationship with the U.S and Israel, and its depiction is particularly resonant today since Iran has actively supported Hamas and Hezbollah’s strikes against Israel, which has now brought the two countries to the brink of full-scale war. By taking note of these historical parallels, viewers will hopefully be motivated to lend their hand toward advocating for a permanent peace between Israel, Iran, and the Palestinians, so that all three peoples may avoid further suffering and devastation.
I am an artist on the autism spectrum. I received an MA specializing in Civil War/Reconstruction history at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, and I have been drawing hundreds of Civil War-themed pictures since the age of five and a half. I recently completed a secondary Master’s in Library and Information Sciences. As a person with autism, I have a very focused set of interests, and the Civil War is my favorite historical event within that range of interests. It is therefore my fervent desire to become a Civil War historian and have my Civil War artwork published in an art book for children. I am also very involved in the autism community and currently serve as the President/Head Officer of Spectrum at UNCG, an organization I founded for students on the autism spectrum. The goal of the organization is to promote autism awareness and foster an inclusive community for autistic students on the UNCG campus. The group has attracted some local publicity and is steadily gaining new members, and we shall be hosting autism panels for classes on campus in the near future.
