Directed by Mehran Tamadon • Documentary • With Mehran Tamadon, Zar Amir Ebrahimi • 2023 • 82 minutes

“What are you thinking? You’re thinking, ‘This is cinema. I’m sowing seeds to create a dialogue.’ Maybe you’ll be able to open a dialogue. A dialogue without any outcome.” — Zar Amir Ebrahimi

Filmmaker Mehran Tamadon (Bassidji) is an Iranian in exile, living in France. For years, he was able to travel back and forth between the two countries. Then, in 2012, he was warned that coming back would mean prison, torture — or worse.

Seeking to understand the mindset of the torturers, and the experience of fellow emigrés who have suffered at their hands, Mehran comes up with a plan: He’ll ask one of them to interrogate him, pushing him to the limit. Ultimately, Mehran hopes to return to Iran with his film, and show it to real torturers as a way to spark recognition of how far they have drifted from their basic humanity.

Celebrated actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi (Holy Spider) takes up the offer. She interrogates Mehran over two intense days — stripping him almost naked, subjecting him to freezing showers, haranguing him about his beliefs.

But as MY WORST ENEMY progresses, it raises uncomfortable questions for everyone involved.

What long-term effects will Zar suffer from taking on the vile persona of those who once tortured her? How much of Zar’s interrogation is a performance? A role like so many others she has played? Is Mehran being tortured, or is he the torturer for putting her through this?

And how complicit are we, by watching?