“A gripping story about masculinity and family values” (Collider) — join us for a special screening of the Swedish social thriller Opponent (Motståndaren, Sweden/Norway, 2023) with director Milad Alami on November 14! Returning this November and December, the Nordic & Baltic Oscar Contenders series features screenings of films chosen by the Nordic & Baltic countries to compete for the Oscar nomination for the Best International Feature Film, including this year’s candidate for Sweden. A film talk and Q&A with director Milad Alami will follow the screening.
In the aftermath of a devastating rumor, Iranian wrestler Iman (Payman Maadi), his wife Maryam (Marall Nasiri), and their daughters Asal (Nicole Mehrbod) and Sahar (Diana Farzami) have been forced to flee Iran, leading them to a run-down hotel in northern Sweden where they live as refugees. Despite feeling powerless, Iman tries to maintain his role as the family patriarch, and to increase their chances of asylum, he breaks a promise to his wife and joins the local wrestling club in hopes of trying out for Sweden’s national team. But as old rumors start to resurface, Iman’s fear and desperation begin to take hold.
“A sharp, stressful social thriller… Alami maintains suspense at both ends of his narrative without making a blank cypher of his protagonist, played with seething specificity by an electrifying Payman Maadi” (Guy Lodge, Variety)
“Payman Maadi brings searing intensity to [this] character study… with admirable economy, the writer-director shows the bureaucratic indifference refugees face on a daily basis, often considered more like numbers than people” (David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter)
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Milad Alami, a Swedish director born in Rasht, Iran, graduated from the National Film School of Denmark in 2011. Since then, he has made short features like VOID and MINI among others, both of which were nominated to the Danish Film Awards Robert Prize in 2015. VOID premiered at Directors Fortnight in Cannes in 2014. Alami’s first feature THE CHARMER premiered at San Sebastian and won several prizes participating in festivals around the world, including Fedeora Award at San Sebastian, Silver Hugo Prize at Chicago, NDR Film Prize at Lübeck and Best Film at Warsaw. It was also nominated for the Dragon Award. Alami was the conceptualizing director for the series WHEN THE DUST SETTLES, released in February 2020. It was critically acclaimed and sold worldwide. His second feature is OPPONENT, premiering at the Berlin Film Festival 2023.