Enter 1 if you want to save Maryam or 2 if you think she deserves the death penalty. We are waiting for your SMS for another hour. " - this is the vision of the search for justice presented in the latest film by the Iranian director Massoud Bakhshi Yald, taking part in the main On Air competition of this year's edition of the Tofifest festival.
The title Yalda is the name of one of the most important Iranian holidays that focus on celebrating spiritual rebirth. It might seem that broadcasting a popular reality show is the perfect idea to fill the Christmas schedule. However, the more we learn about the principles of the Joy of Forgiveness program, the more we start to wonder about the rightness of this choice. The protagonist of the episode is 22-year-old Maryam, who inadvertently caused the death of her husband, Nasser, three times his age. So the question is - why did Maryam land on a TV show, not in prison? Well, Iranian law assumes the supremacy of the principle of "an eye for an eye". Consequently, the penalty for murder is almost always death. However, the same law gives the victim's family the opportunity to give up revenge, and thus - the title forgiveness of guilt. Iranian media, however, went a step further - why not make this the most profitable reality show in the country? In this way, it was possible for the public who decide about the life or death of the convict via SMS to play God. The principle of "an eye for an eye" was changed by the program's creators to "SMS for a life".
At first, the viewer gets the story of the crime presented only from the perspective of the program host - a girl from the lower classes seduces the old man to ensure a better life for herself and her family. However, the more we learn about Maryam's perspective (phenomenally played by the young and inexperienced Sadaf Asgari) during her almost two-hour desperate struggle for her life, the better we understand that Yalda, the night of forgiveness, extends meaningfully beyond the girl's story. The film is primarily an unconventionally presented cross-section of absurdities and paradoxes of life in the Sharia state. The law religiously dominates every aspect of everyday life. Even such iron - as it might seem - sentences like the death penalty for murder can be subject to moral dispute. Public addition.
On the other hand, the director tries to emphasize the power of forgiveness in his film. There is a reason why the plot is set in one of the most restrictive political and religious systems in the world. After all, the main character was sentenced to the heaviest punishment that could be imposed - death. However, there is one only element that can override this decision - forgiveness. Thus, even in such a ruthless legal system as Sharia, there is a factor that has the power to challenge "divine principles." This fact defines forgiveness as something that works beyond all divisions and rules.
What may seem shocking, Joy of Forgiveness is based on the principles of a real program - "Mah-e Asal" - breaking popularity records in Iran. Thanks to the behind-the-scenes narrative, the viewer is exposed to all emotions - not only Maryam's despair and Mona's dilemmas, but also the stress accompanying the broadcast of the live program. All this is additionally turned up by the almost grotesque behavior of the host who, in critical moments for the protagonists, reminds viewers of the SMS voting and proposes another live performance. This makes the viewer rub their eyes with amazement, wondering if the whole situation is not a joke. The film is therefore sometimes a bit uncomfortable to watch because of the awkward situation we are placed in, observing such a commercial approach to human life. However, as a whole, the idea of such a program goes straight into the morality of each of us, evoking completely subjective emotions. So there is no way that Yalda - Forgiveness Night will leave someone without thinking, and that's what good cinema is all about.
The form of the game show makes us wonder, who is the bigger culprit in this situation? Is it really Maryam who puts her life on display, or maybe the media and the audience texting? Yalda - The Night of Forgiveness is definitely one of the most interesting items I have recently seen, the more attractive when we realize that it is based on real events and that this type of debate actually takes place.