Opponent

Summary
In the aftermath of a devastating rumour, Iman and his family have been forced to flee Iran. As refugees, they end up in a run-down hotel in northern Sweden. Despite feeling powerless, Iman tries to maintain his role as the family patriarch. To improve their chances of obtaining asylum, he breaks a promise to his wife and joins the local wrestling club. But as the rumours start to resurface, Iman’s fear and desperation begin to take hold.

Rationale
Powerful, complex, and concentrated. Both a slow burner and an inferno. Milad Alami’s multi-layered story unfolds slowly and takes new directions, but without Alami as a director losing sight of the goal along the way. He talks about Sweden, about fleeing, and about forbidden feelings, without making it easy for himself or the audience. The interaction between actor Payman Maadi and the sensitive cinematography of Sebastian Winterø precisely captures every shift between the physicality of wrestling and the physical touch of a completely different nature. In this way, Alami completely baffles us.