Rokia at the Cinema: Golshifteh Farahan as You’ve Never Seen Him in an Intense Thriller

A year after starring opposite Chris Hemsworth in Netflix’s Tyler Rake 2 , goaltender Farahan returns with the French film Roqya.

Cinematographer Saeed Belqtibia’s first feature film, the film follows Noor, a mother who is treated by smuggling exotic animals. When the advice is wrong, it is accused of witchcraft. The residents of the neighborhood chase and separate the son, then he goes on a frantic race to save him.

A modern witch hunt

Roqya is an exorcism to drive away evil spirits. For the first film, the director, who is passionate about genre cinema, drew his own childhood. He explains in the press kit: “I had a turbulent childhood without a father. Convinced that I was possessed by a jinn (demon), my mother, instead of scolding me, put me on the sofa in the living room and continued to melt tin with water while she was talking. I didn’t realize it at the time, but she was practicing witchcraft to try to ward off evil from me… along with my co-author Louis PennicottWe came up with the idea of ​​a modernized witch hunt very quickly.

In Rocky, goal-shifter Farrakhan finds himself pursued by both the men of the town and the father of his son, played by comedian Jeremy Ferrari, in his first film role.

The Franco-Iranian actress, who met for the promotion of the feature film, tells us about this role: “There is a story about witchcraft, but it is not the main story of the film. My character is primarily a businessman trying to find his place, survive and work.

He is strong. He is a tiger that knows no bounds. If he has to kill to protect his son, he does it. He survived in a rather patriarchal environment in the suburbs. He is unhappy because he earns a good living. He has a BMW, his head is high. And he does not like it, as a result of which he is accused not of witchcraft, but of murder, which he did not commit. He was unjustly stoned. It is a constant pursuit to save her and her child.

He is a pirate

He is not the kind of character we are used to seeing. It’s not all black or all white, it’s somewhere in between. His behavior is indescribable, but we love it. He is a pirate. He is not a witch, but he was hunted as if he were. It’s a bit like being kicked out of my country.“

The film actually talks about men’s views on women’s success and their choices. For the actress, Roqya is a feminist film. Nuri is a strong woman who does what she wants and doesn’t care about the eyes of others and especially her ex-husband. The only thing that is important to him is his son and he will do everything to save him.

A parallel between Noor and Golshifteh Farahan

A powerful role for this actor, who had to flee Iran after starring in Ridley Scott’s 2008 film Lies of the State. During our interview, the actor explains that like his character Noori in Rokia, he was forced to run for his life. An exile that the young woman does not regret and thanks to which she reinvented herself.

“When I did Ridley Scott’s Lies of State, the Iranian government accused me of spying for the CIA. They thought the CIA asked Ridley Scott to hire me. They said the attention that Leonardo DiCaprio’s character is paying to my character is a metaphor for the attention that The United States turns Iran, I said: this is not at all, this is not the plot of the movie.

There is a misunderstanding that they were banned from entering Iran after the veil was removed. But no, actually because I acted in an American film, it was a real problem. When I left Iran, I left for good, I knew I couldn’t go back because they wanted to punish me because of the release of the film.

After all, this exile is probably the greatest gift of my life, even if it is a real heartache for my soul.

After all, this exile is probably the greatest gift of my life, even if it is a real heartache for my soul. Being displaced is like losing an arm, but you can be a Paralympic champion without one. I have not stopped my career, I have not stopped my life. We try to become something else. Our disability becomes our strength. Even if I go back to Iran, I will never be healed, because Iran, in me, is lost forever. This film split my life in two, but I don’t regret it.”

A role written for Golshifteh

and director of Rochia, Belctibia said He had this parallel in mind when he wrote the film. The latter also explains that he wrote the role of Nuri with her in mind. “The most important thing for me is the values ​​of people, with which they can feed me. Apart from being a wonderful actress who is a go-getter, she is a woman I wanted to work with. I need to surround myself with people who speak the same language as me and with whom I share. It helps me face the world.

At first, working with Golshifteh was a dream. My co-writer and I wrote the role for her: who better than Golsfiteh to embody the story of the female target? I met him, he read the script and my dream came true. He was a great help, giving me his unconditional views and ideas.“

Since his exile, Golshifteh Farahan Played in more than forty films, including French Poulet aux prunes, Les deux amis, Santa & Cie, co-production Syngué Sabour – Pierre de Patience and international feature films Exodus: Gods And Kings, Tyler Rake, Pirates of the Caribbean. : Revenge of Salazar or Patterson.

what is You can see it in theaters this Wednesday, May 15.