Where to watch: ‘A Hero’ is now playing in select theaters and available to stream on Amazon Prime this Friday, January 14th.

I’ll admit, I hadn’t seen a film by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi before watching his newest film, A Hero.

I guess the only positive thing that I can say to that is, without having seen any of his other movies to date, I was able to watch his newest film with eyes anew (hey, we’re all here to continuously discover new films, aren’t we?).

Although, it is particularly embarrassing that I (a film critic) am just now seeing my first of Farhad’s films, an accomplished director who has won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film twice, for A Separation (2011) and The Salesman (2016). It’s a feat shared by only a few directors worldwide.

His newest film, A Hero (which is also Iran’s official submission to this year’s Academy Awards), has been on a lot of 2021 year-end lists and has received a ton of critical reception to date. Last year, it won the Cannes Film Festival’s Grand Prix (the second-most prestigious prize of the festival after the Palme d’Or).

Knowing all of this, and very much wanting to begin my journey into seeing the Oscar-winning director’s work, I watched a digital screener of the film at home in advance of the film going up on Prime Video this Friday.

First off, A Hero is a film without an obvious directorial style to it. It’s not visually flashy and doesn’t use grandiose camerawork in its storytelling. I don’t even think there was any score, either. So, it’s not exactly a film that rings as “cinematic,” in those senses.

However, forgoing style makes its substance resonate so deeply. The people in this story, who are brought to life by a fantastic ensemble cast of actors, make the story feel even more human and real. And for a film that is intent on exploring the human condition, removing these layers of cinema to let the performances and story shine is exactly the right choice.

At 2 hours and 7 minutes, A Hero is about Rahim (Amir Jadidi), a man imprisoned for not being able to pay back a loan, and on temporary leave for two short days. With only a part of the money he needs to pay back his debt, he asks his creditor to withdraw his complaint against the payment of part of the sum. When the creditor denies, Rahim enacts a plan to attempt to settle his debt.

Fabricating a story of goodwill that is picked up by the local media, Rahim instantly turns into an overnight hero in his community. However, just as soon as his fame has risen, cracks in his charitable story start to emerge threatening his reputation, and his plans of freedom.

What makes A Hero such a great film–which it is–is that it’s not a movie that lets you easily pass judgment or ascribe labels on people or their motives. Rahim may sound like a calculating, contemptuous figure, but what Farhad adds in his excellently written script is to show that Rahim, in fact, has purer motives underneath.

While he may not be telling the full truth in his story, the larger truth is that Rahim embellishes his story as a means to an end, looking to use his new goodwill to land a job to then pay back the creditor the rest of his money. Farhad’s nuanced writing and shrewd observation of such a complex and conflicted character, as well as the larger human condition, forces the audience to consider the entire spectrum of ethics, as well as our own.

So, if you’re like me, and have been largely unfamiliar with Asghar Farhadi’s films to date, start with A Hero. You’ll not only find a wealth of rich, thrilling drama that looks at the human condition but even consider the ethics by which you live your own life too.

2 hours 7 minutes. ‘A Hero’ is rated PG-13 for some thematic elements and language.