Exodus (Persian: خروج, romanized: Ḵorouj) is a 2020 Iranian drama film written and directed by Ebrahim Hatamikia. Exodus narrates the story of Rahmat Bakhshi, an Iran–Iraq War veteran and his fellow hard-working cotton farmers that lose all their crops after their farms are inadvertently inundated with salt water from a local dam. In response, they drive their tractors to the Presidential Administration in protest.[2][3]
Exodus screened for the first time at the 38th Fajr Film Festival, and has created controversy.[3] The film opened on 12 April 2020.[4]
Ebrahim Hatamikia after making of The Report of a Party (2011), had had an idea to make a film about people's protest against the rulers but did not decide on an appropriate story until January 2019. In late 2018, he heard about a real protest which occurred in a small town. Hatamikia liked the story, so began screenwriting for Exodus in early 2019.[5] Shooting began in a village of Gachsaran County and ended at Qom.[6]
Music
Music of Exodus composed by Karen Homayounfar. Homayounfar formerly had collaborated with Hatamikia in The Green Ring (2007–2008), The Report of a Party (2011), Bodyguard (2016) and Damascus Time (2018).
Release
Exodus was scheduled to be screened from March 2020 onwards, but this was changed due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the film was instead released online. It is the first feature film in Iran which has had its public premiere on a video on demand distribution system.[7] Furthermore, it has been named as the first film in the Islamic Republic of Iran to be screened at a drive-in theater.[8][9][10]
Reception
Critical response
According to media reports, Hatamikia's technical ambitions after Che (2014), Bodyguard (2016) and Damascus Time (2018) continues here.[11]Tehran Times newspaper described Exodus as a road movie, reminding the audience of the Classical Western films. It also describes wide shots of the cotton and corn farms, and close-ups of the main character with his believable makeup as "eye-catching". Faramarz Gharibian portrays Rahmat gracefully, making the audience believe the character's miserable life, which fuels his deep anger, is only visible in his eyes. According to a review, everything appears to be fine with the film, but the problem starts when Hatamikia tries to turn the film into a tribune for expressing his political views; it seems that the film is criticising the current Iranian government.[2]Kayhan newspaper noted that the movie has a "reasonable, calm and firm" protest, contrasting against the Joker's "revolt theory".[12]
Iranian Moderates accused Hatamikia of trying to please the country's hard-liners, pointing out that the film was financed by Owj Arts and Media Organization, which is tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. During a press conference, Hatamikia denied that he has ever made films on request, or ever will.[3] The film was lambasted by Reformists immediately, who described it as a propaganda film commissioned by the radicals to undermine Hassan Rouhani. The government-run Iran newspaper described the film as "superficial" and "laughable". Reformist Entekhabnews site said Hatamikia's talents as a filmmaker were diminishing, and the only way he could get funding was by directly hitting the President.[3]