There Is No Evil tells four stories, that are variations on the crucial themes of moral strength and the death penalty that ask to what extent individual freedom can be expressed under a despotic regime and its seemingly inescapable threats. Every country that enforces the death penalty needs people to kill other people. Four men are put in front of an unthinkable but simple choice. The film is another example of superb Iranian film making.

 

Not surprisingly, considering the subject matter, be prepared for the odd shock. The film has a 15 Certificate but if you are concerned, see the BBFC Content Advice here. 

 

It was philosopher Hannah Arendt who wrote about the 'banality of evil': those who commit the cruellest acts can be the most ordinary human beings. This is impressively shown in the first chapter of There Is No Evil, in which we follow a day in the life of a perfectly ordinary man, who drives off to work the next day and hesitates when the traffic light turns green. We, the audience, then understand why, as the very shocking last scene turns everything that came before upside down.

 

The other three episodes deal, in different ways, with the same issue: capital punishment.  The film is not interested in legal dilemmas surrounding the death penalty; it only shows the consequences it can have. The focus is not on the question of whether capital punishment can be justified but on the moral difficulties of those who keep the system running, or who are forced to do that.

 

The tone of each story is such that the second feels like a thriller, the third like a romance and

the fourth like a mystery story. The director’s style is understated and shows a great deal of restraint when dealing with such a difficult subject.

 

The director, Mohammed  Rasoulof, has been convicted for making this feature, which adds an extra dimension to his film. He has been arrested several times and had his passport confiscated, as the nature and content of his films have brought him into conflict with the Iranian Government. In May 2024, following the announcement that his film, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, was selected in the main competition at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, he was sentenced by the Islamic Republic to eight years in prison, whipping, and a fine. Rasoulof fled to a safe house in Germany immediately after the sentencing.

 

Peter Sheil