Summary
There Is No Evil (Persian: شیطان وجود ندارد, romanized: Sheytân vojūd nadârad, lit. 'Shaitan Doesn't Exist') is a 2020 Persian-language drama film directed and written 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.
| There Is No Evil | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Mohammad Rasoulof |
| Written by | Mohammad Rasoulof |
| Produced by | Mohammad Rasoulof Kaveh Farnam Farzad Pak |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Ashkan Ashkani |
| Edited by | Mohammadreza Muini Meysam Muini |
| Music by | Amir Molookpour |
Release date |
|
Running time | 150 minutes |
| Countries |
|
| Language | Persian |
| Box office | $824,066[1][2] |
Plot edit
The film relates four stories involving capital punishment in Iran.[3][4]
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 edit
Rasoulof explained that the film is about "people taking responsibility" for their actions, and that each story "is based on my own experience".[5]
Production edit
There Is No Evil was directed by Mohammad Rasoulof.[3][4] Recorded secretly, the film is banned from being shown in Iran.[6]
Release edit
The film was shown at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2020.[3]
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 edit
- It won the Golden Bear at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2020.[9][5]
- Sydney Film Prize, November 2021[8]
The director is jailed and banned from leaving Iran, so was not able to attend competitions or receive awards.[10]
References edit
- ^ "There Is No Evil (2020)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
- ^ "Sheytan vojud nadarad (2020)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
- ^ a b c "The 70th Berlinale Competition and Further Films to Complete the Berlinale Special". Berlinale. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- ^ a b "Berlin Competition Lineup Revealed: Sally Potter, Kelly Reichardt, Eliza Hittman, Abel Ferrara". Variety. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- ^ a b "Berlin International Film Festival: Iranian film about executions wins top prize". BBC News. 29 February 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Farhang Foundation and the UCLA Film & Television Archive present". Farhang Foundation. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ 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. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "Berlin Film Festival 2020: There Is No Evil Wins Golden Bear". Variety. 29 February 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ "2021年柏林电影节的大咖评委 | DW | 12.02.2021". DW.COM.
External links edit
- There Is No Evil at IMDb
- There Is No Evil at Metacritic
- There Is No Evil at Rotten Tomatoes
