Seventh Row picks Iranian ‘180° Rule’ as best film of Toronto fest

The Seventh Row, a Canadian not-for-profit publication, has picked Iranian film ‘180° Rule’ as one of the best films of the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

Farnoush Samadi’s film, which recently participated in the Discovery section of the 45th Toronto Int’l Film Festival, has been praise by the Seventh Raw as a film “designed to shock and provoke”.

“Samadi’s feature directorial debut does not disappoint, either in its formal excellence or its bold storytelling,” the website writes.

‘180° Rule’ AKA ‘180 Degree Rule’ depicts the story of a female teacher. She intends to go to a wedding ceremony but her husband does not allow her. When her husband forbids the trip, she makes a decision that may have grave consequences for her.

“Samadi soon becomes compelled to contort all of her characters into secrets and lies that don’t suit anything we’ve previously learned,” is also added to the review of the film which is currently seeking U.S. distribution.  

On why choosing ‘180° Rule’ as the title of the film, the Seventh Row points to the camera angel, writing that, “The 180-degree rule entails keeping the camera on one side of an imaginary axis, a side that only encompasses 180 degrees and thus creates an understandable orientation of characters and objects on the other side.”

MM/MM