Reza just wants to live life as an honest man, working on his goldfish farm as a means of income to take care of his wife and young son. Things soon become complicated when a powerful organisation attempts to force Reza and his family off of his farm for their own financial gain, making him question whether or not the hassle of standing up and fighting is worth it or if leaving would be the better option. However, this question is almost answered for him due to his strong moral compass and the fact that he refuses to pay bribes, meaning it will almost be impossible to get ahead while the rest of the world is so corrupt. When his water supply to his fish is poisoned though, Reza finally breaks and decides to take them on at their own game, but by doing so, will he end up losing himself in the process?
Prior to seeing “A Man of Integrity” for the first time (way back at MIFF in 2017), I hadn't fallen in love with any of director Mohammad Rasoulof's previous films, although I thought they were all interesting and he had a lot to say. I felt that he often used sledge-hammer techniques at getting his points across, so audiences were never in any doubt on where Rasoulof stood on the topics he was exploring. The films were more about servicing his message than that message being told subtly through his characters in an entertaining narrative. I liked his films, but never loved any of them and was starting to think that maybe Rasoulof and I were never going to be cinematic soulmates. That all changed with “A Man of Integrity” which totally blew me away, and I am happy to say that it still does with my re-watch of the film today. While it is still very obvious that Rasoulof is furious at the corruption and bureaucratic red tape that exist in Iran, making it hard for an honest person to truly get a fair shake in the country, he does so in a fashion that is much more cinematic and layered into the narrative of his main character Reza. It is interesting to note, that the film that I kept thinking about while watching “A Man of Integrity” was actually Sam Peckinpah's “Straw Dogs”. While there are not a huge amount of connections in terms of the stories being told, I saw similarities in the character of Reza and that of Dustin Hoffman's character in “Straw Dogs”. Both are good, placid men who are coerced into breaking their own personal beliefs to protect their family and home.
One of the key lines of dialogue in “A Man of Integrity” is “in this country you are either the oppressed or the oppressor”, which Reza is reminded by an old friend that he, himself said back when he was younger. What is interesting about this quote is that throughout the film, characters alternate between being the oppressed and the oppressor due to the situations they find themselves in. For example, whilst Reza and his wife Hadis are being strong-armed by authorities to pay Abbas for a fake injury he has claimed he has received in a fight with Reza, Hadis (who is also the local school's principal) attempts to turn the tables on Abbas by threatening his child with expulsion after she learns through the young girl that her dad's injury is indeed fake. She hates herself for doing this, but Hadis can see no other way out of their dire situation unless she herself becomes the oppressor. Another interesting quote in the film is when Hadis's brother says, regarding Reza, “he will learn”, following up with “some learn quickly, other's less so. Some learn too much, other's less”, and this is true in the fact that Hadis's brother is able to get the wheels turning on solutions by paying the right people a simple bribe. He understands that this is the way of the world they live in and instead of fighting it, and getting nowhere, it is better off playing along so you have a chance of success, however little that may be. Reza is fundamentally against this, but as you see throughout “A Man of Integrity” his life becomes more and more harder to lead due to this strong moral compass, so the film is ultimately a look at how a good man is essentially doomed in a world as corrupt as Iran, and that if you are not willing to pay are bribe, you are unlikely to get anywhere. However, the counterpoint to that argument is shown when Reza finally decides to play by the rules the world has given to him, and then loses himself in the process, which makes you question what is the point in fighting at all? For Reza, it appears to be a lose / lose situation.
One thing I noticed on my latest viewing of “A Man of Integrity” was just how beautifully it has been put together. Rasoulof has filled the world of his movie in shades of blue, mostly of the pale variety and it just looks stunning. As is well known by now, due to the nature of the films Mohammad Rasoulof makes and his constant attacks on the current regime, he has to make his films in secret for fear of being arrested, so it is astounding when you stop and realise just how beautifully designed this movie actually is. Locations, props and costumes all seem to be in shades of blue, but amazingly, it is done in such a subtle way that it wouldn't surprise me if most of the audience do not even notice this, like myself on my first viewing of the film. I also found that Rasoulof's camera moves and compositions were the best of his career (up until this point), and that his use of sound was exemplary. At times he would totally drown out the sound completely to make a point, or use it to express surprise or shock like when the birds are attacking and trying to eat all of Reza's dead goldfish. Also when Reza is in the hidden, natural spa, alone and gathering his thoughts, the ambient noise that Rasoulof uses gives the whole scene a serene feeling, which is absent throughout the rest of the film.
I have to admit that “A Man of Integrity” is quite a depressing film as we are witness to a man first losing everything he holds dear due to him staying try to his own beliefs, and then, we watch this man lose himself as he begins to fight dirty like the rest of the world, just to keep his head above water. However, what makes this film truly extraordinary is the final kick in its tail when Reza finally thinks he sees daylight and clear skies ahead. It is a cruel kick to the guts, that you never see coming (like Reza himself), that signifies just how corrupt this world really is, and the fact that Reza never stood a chance. I am trying to be as vague as possible here, because it is a brilliant ending to an equally brilliant film, that deserves to be experienced rather than ruined.
Overall, I found “A Man of Integrity” to be a stunning film and a turning point in the cinema of Mohammad Rasoulof who, from this film onward, has been tackling important social issues of Iran like always, but now in a way through both his characters and the narrative he is telling. His technique is subtler and, for mine, all the more stronger for it as we now care more about his characters in these stories. As history has shown, Rasoulof has continued down this path further and created two more brilliant films in “There Is No Evil” and “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”, and it is fair to say that I loved them both and am now officially on Mohammad Rasoulof's cinematic wavelength. “A Man of Integrity” is a remarkable film that I cannot recommend enough. It is a powerful and dark story, exquisitely made under the most trying of circumstances.
4.5 Stars.
