By Will Barber-Taylor

A mother in Iran, considers selling her organs to save her daughter, while in the United States, a doctor faces ethical dilemmas to save his faces ethical dilemmas to save his daughter, revealing the complexities of organ trade.

The complexities of saving a life and of preserving it are often the most difficult ones we face as individuals. They test our belief not just in our selves but also in the world in which we live in. How can we live in a world in which children suffer so much? These ethical dilemmas lie at the heart of Amir Zargara’s new film Vital. Focussing on two Iranian families, on in Iran and another in the United States, Zargara’s profound film explores the complexities of trying to save someone you love. How far would you go, the film asks, to save the life of your child? Zargara’s film delves into the depths of that conundrum and does not present any easy answers. Vital is not a film that attempts to sugar coat the pain and horror that faces so many families in Iran who must decide between keeping an organ and saving a loved one’s life.

The performances are all excellent with Mahtab Servati giving an especially profound performance as Fereshteh. Her performance radiates with pain and fear that is artfully kept under control. Servati’s portrayal of Fereshteh is a hauntingly vivid one and one you are likely to remember long after you have seen the film.

Vital is vitally important because it deals with a complex, difficult topic in a sensitive and heartfelt way. Zargara’s excellent direction ensures that you are always focussed on the screen on watching the pain seep through not simply through the actors themselves but the situations they find themselves in; a pain that is felt across an entire nation. It is an important and compelling film which deserves recognition for tackling such a traumatic issue in such an engaging and sincere way.