Majidi's Film Draws Attention: A Journey Down a Slippery Moral Slope!

Majid Majidi's new film, “Midday Meal,” drew attention with its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival 2026.

According to the reporter of Mehr, the movie "Midday Food" by Majid Majidi, the latest film, was screened at the Busan Film Festival, and it has already been mentioned as a work that can win many awards.

Attending this festival, Majidi dedicated the film to the brave people of Iran and the oppressed children of Minab and sent greetings to the people who have not and will not bow down and said: The only crime of the people of Iran is that they want to be independent and have independence.

The screening of the film, which is about a part-time teacher who refuses to let the school close, has attracted attention at the festival.

The film's analysis states: As much as this teacher truly loves his students, as much as they need him, he needs them in order to continue working at the school until he can secure a full-time position and financial stability; A fairly tame start to a journey down a slippery slope of illegal and morally repugnant practices.

Variety cited Majidi's film as an influential Iranian drama depicting a teacher's desperate efforts to provide for his school.

This online publication wrote: The last film of Majid Majidi, the veteran director, has been completed with the excellent performance of the lead actor Mohammad Rahimi.

Variety critic Kambuli Campbell added: "Lunch" isn't about the art of cooking, but it's partly about the manners of eating, manners that become more valuable with scarcity. But beyond that, Majid Majidi's new film is about the right to food, the grueling struggle to find and provide it in the absence of government care. The film, which was made in the Gorankesh village of Iran, located in a dry and apparently unfavorable region, follows the story of a school teacher Dawood Solan (Mohammed Rahimi) who, although he receives a salary from the Ministry of Education, runs the school through private funds, and when the benefactor who helped him dies, the interruption in the supply of food puts the entire school at risk; Without lunch, children no longer come to school and this causes the school to close after 2 weeks.

This critic goes on to write: It is hard not to be moved by the desperate measures Solan takes to keep his school open; He spends his rent on food and smuggles and sells fuel at night to keep the school open. His determination to keep the school open comes with some moral questions, and that's what makes "Lunch" more interesting and risky than expected. Should he accept children from other villages in his class and should he blame his mother for hosting guests at the possible cost of the children's food?

Rahimi's performance and Majidi's patient exploration of his reactions are more of an idealistic decoding of the director's desire for a humane world and the question of how much of what he does is charity and how much of it is guaranteed for rights?

Admiring Majidi's restrained, naturalistic approach and the deliberate ambiguity of Solan's intentions—beyond his desire to keep the school open—the review finds the study of this fascinating character as an honest but deeply conflicted and, most importantly, desperate man, one of the highlights of the film, which leaves a great impression. This is where the “lunch” rage comes in, the inherent frustration at how so many institutions consistently fail to make the simplest decision in the world; Meeting people's needs.

Meanwhile, Majidi's unflinching cinematography highlights the cold reality that Solan is trying to navigate, erasing any sign of potential education. Underlying every good deed he does is a kind of pragmatism that can seem a little cruel. But in the end, moments of grace and mercy prevent the film from turning into a bitter story; The inspector, despite his apparent strictness and the apparent negligence of the board, sees Solan's benevolence and decides to help as much as he can, and in a film that at first seems built on moral simplicity, there are ultimately no easy answers.

A film that has the potential to succeed in art cinema

Screen Daily also mentioned the movie "Ghzay Nimroz" as an attractive and timely movie.

Elizabeth Kerr, the critic of this site, emphasized the subtle acting of Mohammad Rahimi, and mentioned the film as a strong work in the competitive part of Busan and writes: Referring to the hard life of the people around Chabahar, Majidi sets his camera on trivial things and lets his anger flow in the narrative, and finally asks: Does the end justify the means?

Making its world premiere in the Busan competition section, “Lunch” is a film that is up-to-date but also timeless for its subtle critique of the systems and structures that turn something as simple as a science class into such an endeavor. Majidi is no stranger to festivals and awards and was the first Iranian filmmaker to be nominated for an Oscar with the film "Children of the Sky" in 1997. This film was produced by the Center for Intellectual Development of Children and Adolescents of Iran (IIDCYA), which is also the producer of this film.

It is further stated: This film, which is accompanied by the subtle, silent and crazy acting of Mohammad Rahimi, contains the usual deliberate rhythm of Iranian cinema and a moral and social knot that the characters must untie. Polished, charming and beautifully shot with hauntingly beautiful visuals by cinematographer (and co-writer) Hooman Bahmanesh, After a good showing at festivals, the film has the potential to be a success in art cinema.

Neighborhood schools are closing due to declining enrollment, and David relies on a fixed salary to buy his house, so he moves into the school with his mother, forcing him to find a way to finance the lunch program on his own. As Majidi peels back the layers of Dawood's character, we realize that he is a fully human and flawed hero, and the film's drama stems from the question of whether Dawood is good enough to save himself from the brink of moral collapse.

This film is a beautiful display of desperation that speaks volumes at the same time.

"Ghza Nimroz" is not a show of misery, it is a story of humanity

In another review published in Verdict Film, "Ghazai Nimroz", Majid Majidi's first film after 6 years, is mentioned as a brilliant film with the stunning performance of Mohammad Rahimi in the role of a school teacher with moral conflict.

Clarence Tsoi, a critic of this site, writes: In Majid Majidi's 11th feature film, a rural school teacher loses his morals and sanity while questioning the different needs of his young students. This impressive drama of this Iranian director is a burning fire of moral pride that is revealed in the heart of poverty and bureaucracy. Majidi, who returned to filmmaking after 6 years away from cinema, has not lost any of his skills in dealing with the harsh realities of the day. This director, in collaboration with Homan Bahmanesh, who was also the cinematographer of this film, advances the story in the heart of pieces of creeping pessimism.

He adds: "Despite its running time of over 2.5 hours, Noon's Meal remains captivating as Majidi's confident approach slowly reveals Solan's understanding of his own goodness and his struggle to overcome the many moral dilemmas he faces." However, what really drives the film forward is Rahim, who delivers a stunning performance as the hapless philanthropist who is forced to do bad things to survive. This non-professional actor, supported by Majidi, vividly portrays the gradual transformation of his character from a generous and good-natured teacher to a rough and disheveled shadow of his former self.

But "Lunch" can hardly be accused of merely showing misery. Even in a film that examines the shades of gray in human morality, the ever-humanist Majidi manages to capture ecstatic moments of explosive colors and boundless joy. Amidst the harsh beauty of the dustiest landscapes, we see people, especially children, trying to survive in simple and bright clothes. Working with his editor Mahyar Bahmanesh, Majidi employs an array of visual techniques to drive the narrative forward, from aerial shots tracking characters traveling through unforgiving lands to fast-paced montages of food being prepared for school children. The varied visual style reflects what is perhaps central to "Lunch"; That life is never simple and that there are more ways to be human, right or wrong.