Drama from the director of Nader and Simin, a Separation, Asghar Farhadi. A teacher turns detective when his wife is assaulted in their new Tehran apartment. Amid the rumours about a former tenant, the couple prepare to appear in an amateur production of Death of a Salesman but, as tension mounts, can their marriage take the strain?
A crumbling apartment block foreshadows the cracks in a marriage in this Oscar-winning drama from celebrated Iranian director Asghar Farhadi (Nader and Simin, a Separation). Set in present-day Tehran, it follows a pair of amateur thespians who are starring in a production of Death of a Salesman. Emad (Shahab Hosseini) is a teacher by day and he and wife Rana(Taraneh Alidoosti) appear to enjoy a happy marriage until she is assaulted in their new home. Farhadi again harnesses the power of the unseen: the rumours surrounding the former tenant; the mystery of what transpired. As the amiable educator turns detective and neglects his wife's more immediate needs, a borrowed child alleviates the anxiety and reveals what might have been. Against a backdrop of frustrated creativity and censorship, Farhadi explores the relationship between art and life. The director's subtly probing style ultimately proves unforgiving, particularly in its portrayal of male pride, with Hosseini excellent as a man who gives in to obsession and risks losing it all. Domestic discord becomes knife-edge stuff in a film that's never less than riveting.
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Emad | Shahab Hosseini |
| Rana | Taraneh Alidoosti |
| Babak | Babak Karimi |
| The Man | Farid Sajjadi Hosseini |
| Sanam | Mina Sadati |
| Kati | Maral Bani Adam |
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Director | Asghar Farhadi |
