No Bears 2022

Prohibited from leaving Iran due to the politically charged nature of his films, filmmaker Jafar Panahi finds himself in a precarious situation. In a bid to continue his art, he has rented a room in the secluded village of Jaban, near the Iran–Turkey border, where he is striving to remotely direct a docudrama centered on an Iranian couple, Bakhtiar Panjeei and Mina Kavani, who are desperately seeking fake passports to escape the oppressive grasp of the government after enduring years of suffering and abuse. While Bakhtiar successfully secures a passport for Zara, he struggles to obtain one for himself, resulting in a growing sense of distress and hopelessness within their relationship. During a live streaming session to oversee a crucial scene, Panahi suddenly loses connection, leaving him cut off from his project and the world beyond his room. In an effort to clear his mind, he decides to explore the village with his camera.

Later that night, he is approached by his assistant director, Reza Heydari, who takes Panahi for a drive and reveals the increasing frustration among the cast and crew due to his absence. Reza suggests a daring plan to help Panahi escape to Turkey for a brief respite, a proposal that terrifies Panahi. He hesitates, opting instead to return to Jaban, where he encounters a young woman named Gozal, who frantically requests that Panahi help her by proving her innocence regarding a deeply sensitive photo with her boyfriend, Amir Davari, known as Solduz. Gozal’s fearful words ring clear: should the photo surface, “all hell will break loose” and there will inevitably be “blood” spilled.

The following day, Panahi finds himself ensnared in a web of village traditions and misunderstandings when three villagers question him about the photos he took. A pervasive tradition dictates that when a girl is born, her umbilical cord is cut in the name of her destined husband. It is revealed that Gozal’s cord was cut for Jacob—who happens to be another character caught in this intricate plot—yet her fate is now under the thumb of Solduz. The villagers implore Panahi to provide the photo for the sake of peace, claiming that Solduz’s father is troubled by the accusation. However, Panahi resolutely denies capturing any image of Gozal and Solduz together, insisting that he has no evidence to offer.

As night falls once more, Sinan Yusufoglu as Solduz comes to Panahi, professing his love for Gozal and revealing their plans to elope. Meanwhile, Bakhtiar confides in Panahi about obtaining a fake passport for himself as well, further complicating the unfolding drama. Tensions rise when the villagers become increasingly anxious about the rumored photo, with disturbing accounts emerging from the children that Panahi photographed. As the distress among the villagers peaks, they demand that Panahi take an oath in their swearing room, vowing he did not see Gozal and Solduz together.

On his way to take the oath, he meets a villager who warns him about the supposed bears in the area but later invites him for tea, suggesting that sometimes, for the sake of harmony, it’s acceptable to tell a fib. This villager articulates the stark contrast between urban authority issues and rural superstition, prompting Panahi to reconsider the implications of his actions. At the swearing room, tensions boil over as the villagers confront Panahi, debating whether he should swear on the Quran or film his oath instead. The discussions grow heated, especially when Jacob interjects against the traditions that govern their lives.

In a parallel plot emerging in Turkey, Bakhtiar and Zara prepare for their departure to Paris, but in a pivotal moment, Zara disrupts the shoot to directly address Panahi via the live stream. With palpable anger, she confronts the deception surrounding the passport, revealing that Bakhtiar’s claim is a lie. Overwhelmed with emotion and reflective of the decade of past abuses, she storms off, leading Panahi to worry for her safety. Amidst the chaos, Bakhtiar spirals into despair as he grapples with the consequences of his actions, leading to a tragic twist when a drowned woman’s body washes ashore—revealed to be Zara’s.

As the film progresses, the tension escalates with Panahi’s landlord, Narges Delaram, urging him to abandon the village as the authorities start closing in on the dangerous fallout from the photo incident. On his way out, Panahi inadvertently discovers that Gozal and Solduz have been killed while attempting to cross the border, triggering a wave of guilt and despair that hangs heavily in the air. As he drives away from the turmoil that has engulfed them all, a sudden decision forces him to stop abruptly, leaving the viewer with a lingering sense of uncertainty and the weight of unresolved sorrow.