Jafar Panahi is the veteran Iranian auteur who continues to get arrested and imprisoned, endure film-making bans and defy the law, and still perseveres in making remarkable and courageous movies.

His latest, winner of this year’s Palme D’Or at Cannes, is a blackly comic story informed by his own experiences with imprisonment. It’s a politically-charged thriller that asks nuanced questions about the nature of trauma, oppression and revenge.

Panahi asks what we’re willing to tolerate in the name of maintaining a civilized world – particularly when the powers-that-be are anything but civilized. But at the same time it also offers an understanding of the importance of humour in the face of darkness.

One hour and 43 minutes

Persian with English subtitles

Iran, France