Amir Zargara is an Iranian-Canadian (BIPOC) writer/director, whose unique perspective is shaped by the cultural mosaic of Iran and Canada. His journey, characterized by the resilience of an immigrant and the challenges of living with a stutter, deeply influences his approach to filmmaking. Amir began his filmmaking journey with “BECOME THE WOUNDED” in 2021. Since then, he has directed several shorts, that he hopes to build his feature film career on. His films delve into the moral complexities faced by individuals, focusing on the gray areas of human character and advocating for empathy over judgment. “A Good Day Will Come” was inspired by the tragic story of Navid Afkari, an Iranian wrestler unjustly executed in 2020 during a time of widespread unrest and human rights abuses in Iran, and is has recently qualified for the 2025 Oscars.
A Good Day Will Come review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
The movie begins with Arash, the protagonist of the movie, having a disagreement with his coach regarding the whether he will make a political statement after his international match, with the latter insisting that he should not, stating that his experience with two different regimes has made him realize that nothing ever changes. Arash, however, amidst news of people being abducted and the disappearing or evidently being murdered, cannot remain silent, and, after his win, he shows up wearing a T-shirt of one of the aforementioned victims. Even more, later on he appears in a demonstration, where thing get more and more tense.
Amir Zargara directs a film that is bleak on a number of levels. The cinematography, and particularly the greyish, desaturated tones and the overall lack of light dictate this approach, which is heightened by the subtle yet quite impactful acting of Sia Alipour as Arash, and the overall use of music. The same applies to the narrative, as the concept that this is a ‘dead man walking’ is quite evident from the beginning. Lastly, the interrogation scene, which is communicated with dialogue and sound than visually, concludes the overall approach here, regarding this element.
The comment is quite eloquent. The Iranians are leaving in oppression, and the regime is not willing to allow any voices against them to be heard. In that regard, films like “A Good Day Will Come” are rather significant in communicating the actual circumstances in Iran and informing the international audience for cases like the one the short is based on.
The presentation of the wrestling aspect is rather well presented, with the combination of acting, choreography and editing resulting in a series of impressive scenes. The riot ones are equally impressive visually, but in terms of context, particularly during the ending, somewhat romanticized, with the lack of more extras not helping either. The scenes where Mehdi Bajestani appears also rather impactful, with his imposing figure as the Coach being the main source.
Despite some issues here and there, as a whole, “A Good Day Will Come” definitely works, both as a drama that highlights a rather bleak reality and as a film that is additionally aiming to inform. An overall quite competent short, which shows that Amir Zargara is definitely ready for a feature.
