[TIFF Review] The Savage: Bad Luck?
One of the Toronto International Film Festival's program is "Primetime," showcasing series from around the world. Among them is The Savage. The first season consists of eight episodes, and the festival screened the first three episodes.
The Savage stars Javad Ezati.
The best scene in the first three episodes of The Savage is the opening. A long take follows the protagonist, Davood, and other miners as they ascend from the mine shaft in an elevator to the surface. Davood inquires about the situation above and lights a cigarette. The long shot captures their entire ascent, starting with only the miners' headlamps illuminating the darkness underground, transitioning to natural light appearing as they near the surface, casting Davood and the miners into silhouette. This scene masterfully builds suspense, as if foreshadowing the string of crises Davood is about to face. However, the real crisis emerges only at the end of the first episode. Most of the first episode is dedicated to setting the background: the miners are owed wages, leading to conflict with the company. This part of the plot also depicts Davood's character. During negotiations with the company, he doesn't act impulsively but quietly listens. After a colleague is injured, he organizes a crowdfunding effort with others to buy toys for the injured colleague's daughter, ensuring she doesn't worry about her father. He is also understanding of colleagues who cannot contribute. However, later scenes showing him taking his father for a medical check-up, and his conversations with someone from his past with whom he has a feud, reveal a temper and a capacity for rage.
It's only at the end of the first episode that the story truly kicks off: on his way home, Davood sees a young brother and sister walking home by the train tracks. Concerned for their safety, he offers them a ride. This initially shows his compassionate nature, but at this point, the series' quality takes a sharp turn. While driving, he scolds the siblings for their poor judgment in walking home alone and accepting a ride from a stranger. His harsh tone, coupled with his frustrated banging on the malfunctioning radio, frightens the little girl. The girl then takes an action that spirals out of control, and Davood responds in a way that creates irreversible consequences. This scene is the most crucial in the series, as this event triggers a chain of subsequent events. However, the scene feels somewhat abrupt. The siblings' fear seems to come out of nowhere, and Davood's harshness, along with his eventual resolution of the situation, goes against the character development established earlier in the series, making it feel unnatural and difficult for viewers to connect with or believe.
The Savage stars Javad Ezati.
Of course, the series further develops Davood's character in the second and third episodes, revealing another side to him. However, these later additions feel somewhat delayed, making the character's actions in the first few episodes hard to understand, and viewers may struggle to grasp his motivations or thoughts. We find it difficult to comprehend his harshness, his constant lying to cover up lies. Is it pure guilt, leading to a reflexive self-protection? Or is there another hidden personality? Davood's ambiguous character affects the audience's understanding and engagement with the plot and characters. The ambiguity isn't limited to Davood; the other child (played by Danial Faraji) and his grandfather, who later search for Davood, also exhibit this. The director might have intended to amplify Davood's unease and guilt by making their actions, personalities, and dialogue convoluted, but the result feels somewhat contrived. A larger issue with the series is its score, which attempts to create suspense and tension but feels overly dramatic and exaggerated.
By the latter part of the third episode, a conversation finally clarifies Davood's character: he blames everything on bad luck, while his friend reminds him not to mistake his personal mistakes for misfortune. When asked about the dangerous situation he's in, Davood again resorts to lies. We finally see the root of the problem: a lack of self-awareness and self-reflection. He is unaware of his own harsh tone and attitude toward others, leading to a series of tragedies, yet he attributes everything to bad luck. At the end of this episode, he seems to finally be confronting his mistakes.
By this point, the series feels quite complete—the protagonist makes a mistake and ultimately faces the consequences. However, there are still five episodes left, and the female lead, Negar Javaherian, has not officially appeared yet. It is likely that the remaining episodes will focus on Davood dealing with the aftermath. In an earlier conversation in the third episode, Davood's mother (Mehri Borjalizadeh) mentions some of his past wrongdoings, hinting at other unknown aspects of his character. After seeing the true nature of this character revealed, will the rest of the series become more engaging and captivating?
The Savage stars Javad Ezati.
Synopsis:
Davood (Javad Ezati) is a man with many responsibilities. We first meet him as he attempts to broker a truce between his fellow labourers and the owner of the mine where they work, seeking to avoid further lost wages and an escalation into violence. His aging parents depend on him, even as they pester him to marry and sell a parcel of underutilized land Davood is determined to keep. After a particularly long day of pressures at work and home, Davood is thrust into an unimaginable tragedy.
Driving along a narrow path beside a train line, Davood spots two children walking. He slows down and invites them into his car for a ride home, gently admonishing the older sister and her younger brother for walking along such a dangerous route alone. As he scolds them for their poor judgement, including getting into the car of a stranger, Davood is unaware of the growing panic in the backseat, as the girl is overcome with fear. When she takes sudden action to protect herself and her brother, a devastating turn of events unfolds, thrusting Davood into a life he does not recognize.
Photo and Source: TIFF