THE PAST
Starring Bérénice Bejo, Ali Mosaffa, Tahar Rahim
Directed by Asghar Farhadi
Following up the Oscar-winning A Separation with his first film shot outside of Iran, writer-director Asghar Farhadi continues to mine domestic turmoil for exceedingly rich drama. And while fraught relationships elevate meal preparation and plumbing repairs to white knuckle affairs, its Farhadis adroitness at incrementally unspooling character and plot details that draw us deeper into a seemingly simple storyline that ultimately proves a tangle of divided loyalties, questionable motivations and gnawing grief and guilt.
Having been summoned from Tehran to Paris to finally grant Marie (The Artists Bérénice Bejo) an amicable if overdue divorce, Ahmad (Ali Mosaffa) discovers that much has changed during his extended absence. Maries daughters from a previously marriage have matured considerably and she now shares her home with Samir (A Prophets Tahar Rahim), a sullen new boyfriend with a son of his own as well as a considerable cross for his conscience to bear.
Rarely do we see characters on screen in such a pronounced state of domestic transition, the palimpsests from previous relationships clearly visible. The three leads deliver exemplary performances but its the younger actors who elevate the film into something exceptional. In every case, the progeny prove remarkable mirror images of their parents, not only in their startling physical resemblances but also in their parallel conduct.
As the players continue to reveal troubling new aspects of themselves, secrets come to light and, much like in A Separation, a mystery presents itself. However, these thriller elements are hardly as enthralling as Farhadis incisive, clear-eyed depictions of commonplace chaos and how those we hold dearest are occasionally capable of bringing out the worst in us.
