Director Majid Majidi returns with “Midday Meal,” a drama that premiered in competition at the Busan International Film Festival. Known for his 1997 work “Children of Heaven”—the first Iranian production nominated for the Best International Feature Oscar—Majidi’s latest film centers on the rituals of food amid scarcity and the punishing struggle to provide nourishment in the absence of governmental care.
A precarious livelihood
Set in the arid village of Goorankesh, the film follows schoolteacher Davoud Soulan, played by lead actor Mohammad Rahimi. Soulan’s position is built on unstable foundations: while his salary comes from the ministry of education, he operates as a contractor, and his private benefactor has recently died. When the deceased benefactor’s heirs decline to continue funding lunch supplies for the students, the school faces closure within an estimated two weeks as attendance drops off without food.
To keep the institution afloat, Soulan lives in the school building to save on rent and moonlights by smuggling and selling fuel—a widespread local pastime in which even children engage.
Moral complexity
Reviewing the 133-minute Persian-language film, critic Kambole Campbell notes that Soulan’s determination involves escalating moral compromises. The teacher’s actions blur the line between altruism and the pursuit of a guaranteed salary, displaying unexpected deceptions as he cares for a sick old man and navigates strained encounters with law enforcement and education officials.
Alongside Rahimi’s performance, Majidi employs a matter-of-fact, naturalistic shooting style to strip away didacticism. The film contrasts institutional negligence with moments of grace, ultimately refusing easy moral answers.