There Is No Evil

"What a beautiful and impactful movie 'Sheytan vojud nadarad' is, winning the top prize at the Berlin Film Festival. In this film, directed by Iranian Mohammad Rasoulof, we follow four completely different stories on the same theme: death penalty adopted by the government of Iran. From there, several perspectives and angles are placed in perspective on the screen: a man of ordinary life and mysterious profession; a soldier who does not want to be responsible for applying the death penalty; a young man who lives with the ghosts of his profession; finally, a short that follows an emotional path. Although we see four distinct stories with no clear connection between them, like 'Wild Tales', there is no lack of cohesion in this film by Rasoulof. After all, even though they are characters in completely different situations, they talk from their pains, fears, anxieties and nightmares, always kept in moral conscience and in their memories. In addition, those who think that 'Sheytan vojud nadarad' is just a movie about death penalty are mistaken. The director actually uses this theme to go beyond and thus build a narrative that makes a powerful criticism of the authoritarian system of Iran - the insertion of the song 'Bella Ciao', an anthem against fascism during World War I, is not gratuitous. It is a beautiful, well-produced and powerful feature film, but it also serves as an important movie-denunciation. It finds ways to accuse through art and through the natural and very well told stories that Arab cinema has been providing."