Writing
Based on the famous story from the epic Shahnameh.
An epic legend about the exploits of the legendary hero Rustam - a brave warrior who is always ready to come to the aid of those who need her. The story is based on Ferdowsi's poem "Shah-Nam". The first part of the "Exploits of Rustam" dilogy, which is continued by the film "Rustam and Suhrab" (1972).
In an Iran weighed down by a struggling economy, two middle-aged brothers live with their bullying father. A man prone to rages and driven by chauvinism, the father’s abusiveness found his second wife leaving him. Now he picks on his eldest son, while the younger sibling fantasises about ways to kill his father. When the man rents out the flat above to a young woman, with intentions of marrying her, the woman’s attraction to the older son slowly pushes this profoundly damaged family to breaking point.
The third part of Tajik trilogy.
Inspired by the epic poem "Shahnameh" by Ferdowsi. It tells the story of Zahhak, the ruler of the Kingdom of Snakes, who, through cunning and deception, conquers a neighboring state and establishes the cult of the Snake Goddess. Zahhak has two snakes growing from his shoulders that feed on human brains. Each day, a dancer, a devotee of the cult, performs a snake dance in the city square. The person she kisses during her performance is doomed to be sacrificed to the snakes.
This film combines elements from Iranian epics, street wit and humor, and is in fact an animation of what Sadeghi considers his main artistic inspiration, namely Iranian folklore and storytelling screens.
