A Man of Integrity

"A film of immense courage and defiance."

2017 1h 57m FA

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 74

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Reza, residing in the wilderness with his wife and son, lives a retired life and devotes himself to freshwater fish farming. A private company that has targets on his land is ready to do anything to force him to sell.

“A film of immense courage and defiance.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Reza Akhlaghirad
Reza
Soudabeh Bayzai
Hadis
Nasim Adabi
Ziba's Mother
Misagh Zare
Hadis's Brother
Zeinab Shabani
Tara
Zhila Shahi
Taxi Driver
Majid Potki
School Principal
Mehdi Mehraban

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mohammad Rasoulof
Writers: Mohammad Rasoulof
Languages: English, Persian
Countries: Czech Republic, Germany, Iran

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 9 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Persian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Czech Republic, Germany, Iran.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mohammad Rasoulof, shot by Ashkan Ashkani. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Peyman Yazdanian. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Meysam Muini shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Reza Akhlaghirad and Soudabeh Bayzai and Nasim Adabi carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A film of immense courage and defiance.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mohammad Rasoulof directs. Ashkan Ashkani behind the camera. Peyman Yazdanian scores. Meysam Muini cuts. Produced in Czech Republic, Germany, Iran. Dialogue in English, Persian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 9 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Persian.
3International production across 3 countries: Czech Republic, Germany, Iran.
4Directed by Mohammad Rasoulof, shot by Ashkan Ashkani. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Peyman Yazdanian. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Meysam Muini shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Reza Akhlaghirad and Soudabeh Bayzai and Nasim Adabi carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "A film of immense courage and defiance.".
9IMDB entry: tt6776462 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 74 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Ashkan Ashkani
Original score: Peyman Yazdanian
Editing: Meysam Muini
Production design: Saeid Asadi
Costume design: Saeid Asadi
VFX supervisor: Michal Křeček
Sound: Alireza Alavian
Runtime: 117 min · 1h 57m
Status: Released
Original language: FA
IMDB: A Man of Integrity (2017)

Also by

Mohammad Rasoulof

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

badelf2026-07-17
★ 8/10
Summary: 8/10: A potent diagnosis of corruption's corrosive effects anchored by powerful performances from Reza Akhlaghirad and Soudabeh Beizaee; patience through the deliberately suffocating first half pays off with a third act that refuses false comfort in favor of hard truths. Director Mohammad Rasoulof understands the cost of integrity. In 2011, he was sentenced to six years in prison and handed a 20-year ban on filmmaking for alleged anti-regime propaganda. In 2017, Iranian authorities confiscated his passport. In 2024, he was sentenced to flogging and more prison; but he fled Iran for Europe after a dangerous journey. Like Jafar Panahi, Rasoulof continues making films that his government desperately wants silenced. He is now living somewhere in exile, unable to return home. A Man of Integrity, which won Un Certain Regard at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, is a clear picture of what life looks like under a fascist, corrupt government when the corruption pervades down to the local level. It takes place in Iran, but it could be Russia, Hungary, parts of the United States, or any of dozens of countries around the world. Governments apparently trend toward this condition over time; once corruption becomes normalized at the top, it metastasizes downward until every transaction, every interaction, every attempt to simply live becomes an encounter with rot. Reza (Reza Akhlaghirad) runs a fish farm in northern Iran. He's honest, hardworking, trying to provide for his wife Hadis (Soudabeh Beizaee) and young daughter. Then a mysterious company wants his land. When he refuses to sell, the corruption begins: The film depicts Iran as a virtual gangster state in which the impunity that starts at the top pervades the entire establishment of business, religion, and government. Akhlaghirad and Beizaee are both exceptional here, especially as the pressure mounts and we watch what sustained injustice does to decent people. Akhlaghirad's performance catches Reza's deepening despair as the actor's gaze freezes and his dark eyes seem to sink into their sockets. Beizaee captures a wife watching her husband break under the weight of choosing between integrity and survival, between protecting his family and protecting his soul. The first half drags somewhat; corruption piles onto Reza like throwing logs on a fire until you wonder how much more one man can endure. But don't lose faith. The third act is absolutely worth the wait, as Rasoulof refuses easy answers or Hollywood redemption. What he offers instead is more honest and more devastating. This is a brave film made by a brave filmmaker, one who knew that making it would cost him. That Rasoulof, (and Panahi) keeps making films, keeps telling stories his government forbids, keeps exposing truths those in power want buried, is the hero we need today.

Production companies