Background/Introduction: Conflict, tension, and crisis are inseparable components of cinema. It can be said that the common thread among cinematic films across various narrative genres and styles is the presence of an intervening, crisis-inducing factor that disrupts tranquility and imposes instability on the existing situation. In fact, this tension serves as the backbone of the narrative and the driving force behind the actions of the characters, compelling them to act and move toward restoring order.
Since its inception, cinema has never lacked crisis-driven narrative subjects, and numerous films have been produced addressing various social harms and crises. This article specifically focuses on social crises and harm.
The study aims to examine and analyze the presence of social issues in Iranian cinematic works. In other words, it seeks to assess how Iranian cinema engages with social harms.
Research Objective: The purpose of this research is to understand how Iranian cinema confronts social issues. To achieve this overarching goal, the study pursues questions such as:
1. Have films been successful in this engagement?
2. Do these films present a collection of social issues alongside one another, or do they focus on specific harms from particular or varied perspectives?
3.What cinematic techniques and knowledge exist that can make a film’s engagement with social issues effective and fruitful?
Methodology:
Since the aim of this research is to explore how films approach a central issue-where the primary subject of study is the film as a text and the text as a sign-the most suitable method to achieve this goal is narrative analysis.
Given that this article seeks to uncover a logic and arrive at a clear answer regarding how the role of media is redefined in cinematic films, it is necessary to study films that employ a coherent and purposeful three-act structure. In this article, with an emphasis on uncovering the core essence of the text for analysis, our approach to narrative analysis is post-structuralist.
Findings: Among the most significant findings regarding the quality of Iranian cinema’s engagement with social issues, the following themes emerge: determinism; normalization of acts contrary to societal norms and laws; parents being held accountable for their children’s sins; condemnation of punitive systems in the meaningful absence of educational and guidance institutions; personal revenge as a proposed solution; societal chaos in the transition from tradition to modernity; a superficial and unprofessional perspective on social harms; and a lack of solutions or glimpses of hope.
Conclusion: Based on the themes derived from this research, it can be concluded that Iranian social cinema suffers from serious thematic flaws. In a significant number of the examined films, the concept of determinism or fate is prominently present. Typically, characters placed in difficult situations resort to wrongful acts, and the films often adopt a sympathetic stance toward them, implicitly justifying their actions. While the environment in which an individual grows up-particularly the role of parents-cannot be overlooked in the formation of social harms, some of the films analyzed exhibit an excessive emphasis on parental responsibility and a degree of one-sidedness in this regard.
On the other hand, in many of the examined films, the punitive and judicial system, despite dealing harshly and decisively with offenders, is also critiqued. The root of this critique often does not lie within the judicial system itself but conveys the message that, in the absence of cultural and educational institutions, criminal acts occur at various levels, leaving the judicial and punitive system with no choice but to address the offenders. Another notable observation in several films is the clear depiction of personal revenge as a solution or a means of alleviating distress.
The transition from tradition to modernity is another critical issue referenced in some films, framing it as a context for the emergence of many social harms. Beyond the examples mentioned above, a recurring pattern in many of these works is their predominantly emotional, sensational, and irrational approach to social issues.
One key takeaway, which also serves as a summary of the above points, is the notable absence of hope in Iranian social cinema. Most films addressing social harms make little effort to offer their audiences glimpses of hope and fail to present logical or comprehensible solutions. A review of the 10 films analyzed in this report confirms the hypothesis that Iranian social cinema harbors a despairing outlook, with faint and vague hope for the future, and either cannot or will not resolve the dilemmas and problems it creates for its characters.