Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences / The Transformation of the “Little Man” Archetype in 2020s Iranian Cinema

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Issue
Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences. 2026 19 (10)
Authors
Grigoreva, Natalia G.
Contact information
Grigoreva, Natalia G. : Russian State University of Cinematography named after S. Gerasimov (Moscow, Russian Federation); ; ORCID: 0000-0003-0589-4966
Keywords
Iranian cinema; the “little man”; archetype; festival canon; Asghar Farhadi; urban drama; poetic realism; global reception
Abstract

The article examines the transformation of the “little man” archetype in 2020s Iranian festival cinema. Poetic realism of the 1990s presented the “little man” as a virtuous figure whose suffering opened a gateway to spiritual vision. The 2020s have overturned this paradigm. Drawing on Jungian archetypal criticism and contextual analysis of films by Majidi, Farhadi, Panahi, Seyedi and Roustayi, the study traces how the “little man” shifted from compassion to critique. The analysis reveals a consistent pattern: the 2020s “little man” appears as a calculating survivor, a cruel conformist, an agent of his own stagnation, a monster born of invisibility, or a helpless incompetent. This transformation responds to converging domestic and global pressures. Iranian cinema has abandoned its consolatory function as an exotic “spiritual alternative” and adopted a diagnostic role, using the “little man” as an instrument of moral and existential critique

Pages
2229–2236
EDN
VFDMKK
Paper at repository of SibFU
https://elib.sfu-kras.ru/handle/2311/160185

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