World War III

Houman Seyyedi's 2022 Iranian film opens with a homeless man who works by the day. Shakib lost his wife and son in an earthquake years ago and has nothing in his life beyond a relationship with a deaf and mute woman. The construction site he goes to work on turns out to be a film set, and the film being made is about the Nazi camps; when someone is missing from the cast, Shakib is put in the role of Hitler by chance. From this the film draws both a story about class and a satire of cinema: to the crew he is still a labourer, while on screen he appears as a dictator. Ladan's arrival at the set and the failure of the people there to protect her carry events somewhere irreversible. It won best film and best actor in a sidebar at Venice. Who it's for: viewers who like Iranian cinema and hard social drama. Who it's not for: anyone who would rather not approach violence and suicide; the ending is very harsh.