The acclaimed Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s latest film snatched the best foreign language movie Oscar from the favourite Toni Erdmann at this year’s ceremony. There was much speculation that the win was down to Farhadi’s refusal to attend as a protest against Donald Trump’s immigration policies, as much as it was the quality of the film. Whilst the reasons for the academy choosing The Salesman will never be known, I believe this is far from Farhadi’s best work.
Teacher Emad (Shahab Hosseini) and his wife Rana (Taraneh Alidoosti) are forced to move into new accommodation after their block of flats become structurally unsound. Their new apartment was previously rented by a prostitute, and one night when Rana is at home alone, she is visited by one of the her clients. What exactly happens next is never made clear but Rana is left injured and emotionally damaged. The event has serious ramifications for the couples’ relationship and Emad becomes increasingly intent on finding the attacker.
Naturalistically shot and featuring a great performance by Hosseini, I failed to fully engage with the film. It has a tendency to meander and get bogged-down in unnecessary sub-plots instead of concentrating on the more interesting central story line. My appreciation also was impacted by seeing this shortly after the more daring Elle and the stylistically similar but much more focused Graduation.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10