Sadaf Asgari as Maryam in “Yalda. A Night for Forgiveness.” Photo courtesy of Film Movement,
“Yalda. A Night for Forgiveness,” masterfully written and directed by Massoud Bakhshi, is beyond imagination. Focusing on the aspect of Sharia law that legally sanctions “an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth,” Bakhshi brings us onto the set of “Joy of Forgiveness,” a reality show broadcast live that brings together a condemned murderer and the daughter of the man she killed. As can happen privately, the aggrieved party may “forgive” the perpetrator after which there is a payment of “blood money,” a sum determined by the importance of the victim.