#TIFF22: “752 IS NOT A NUMBER”

By David Baldwin

On January 8, 2020, Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was shot down just as it left Iranian air space. Everyone on board died, including the wife and young daughter of Newmarket Dentist Hamed Esmaeilion. Devastated, he immediately flies to Iran to claim their remains and after witnessing a partial cover-up first hand, Hamed begins a quest for justice and the truth as to why this tragedy occurred at all.

752 IS NOT A NUMBER is harrowing and frustrating. The answers do not come easy – if at all – and the way Filmmaker Babak Payami portrays Hamed’s grief is consistently heartbreaking. It is not an easy watch, especially when he cuts in candid family footage from happier times. Yet the Film feels absolutely necessary in how it captures government priorities and corruption. In case you forgot, the Pandemic was starting to heat up at the exact same time this tragedy took place (a fact that is acknowledged but thankfully not dwelled on), so uncovering Iran’s reasoning for shooting down the plane was more challenging than it should have been.

While 752 IS NOT A NUMBER could have been tightened in certain areas, Payami’s film remains compelling from start to finish. Just do not expect any catharsis at the end for Hamed and all of the other families affected by this tragedy.

752 IS NOT A NUMBER screens as follows at TIFF ’22 as follows:

Sun, Sep 11 IN-PERSON Scotiabank Theatre 3:15pm

Sat, Sep 17 IN-PERSON Scotiabank Theatre 12:50pm