masonfisk The 2017 best foreign language Oscar went to this staggering indictment of physical slight & the enveloping revenge which consumes an Iranian couple. A theatrical adaptation of Death of a Salesman is being put on by an Iranian acting troupe when a married couple, involved in the affair, need to move to a new apartment. Once in their new place an incident occurs, due to confusion on the attacker's part sending the husband on a trail of disappointment, resentment & impotence to regain face & bring honor back to his family.

aarosedi The film presents a charismatic couple whose their lives that has been forever changed after moving into an apartment unit just recently vacated by a shady tenant. As the try to restrain the emotions that are left to simmer and grumble beneath the surface, they do their best to reclaim the normality in their lives. Mr Farhadi virtually took the same elements that had been engaging and successful in his 2011 child-custody drama, A Separation, but this time, he shuffled those elements a bit, used a way more darker color palette in detailing life in contemporary Iran and added a theatrical play in the equation. Having seen only two of his films so far, I can't assume that this is a recurring style in his body of work, infusing that element of mystery in a domestic drama setting where the audience gets to observe the protagonists collect clues and hints that they eventually then assemble like a pieces of jigsaw puzzle only to discover a grotesque image of some uncomfortable truths. And these are the spectacles I always enjoy witnessing. I would definitely look forward into checking out some of his previous works and anticipating his future ones because what these sorts of films do to me is the same thing that the actress' kid did in this film when Rana (the wife), out of boredom, borrowed and took him home with her, added some curious and insightful doodles into the graffiti and scribbles already present in the walls of my mind. My rating: A-plus

eddie_baggins Winner of this year's Best Foreign Language Oscar at the Academy Awards, The Salesman continues on Iranian director Asghar Farhadi's stunning recent collection of dramatic works that includes fellow Oscar winner A Separation and Golden Globe nominee The Past.An intense and intimate drama that veers into a character driven and decision making thriller in its later stages, Farhadi's film focuses on the fractured relationship that begins to build between married couple Emad and Rana Etesami after Rana is violently assaulted in the couples new rental property.Brilliantly played by Shahab Hosseini and Taraneh Alidoosti respectively, Emad and Rana are both believable characters and well-drawn ones, staples of Farhadi's ever increasing strong body of works, and their separate journey's in learning to deal with and overcome this violation of their lives is one you as an audience member will be drawn into like a moth to a flame.Emad who's initially a strong and respectable figure, a beloved teacher and theatre actor (the title of this film relates to Emad and Rana's role in a stage production of The Death of a Salesman) finds himself increasingly captivated by the quest to find the perpetrator of the assault on Rana, that slowly but surely unravels his usual in-command lifestyle, while Rana's mental mindset and ability to cope with the trauma of this event sees her become a shell of her former self, unable even to do mundane run of the mill tasks.Farhadi expertly deals with this situation that arises in the Etesami's life, the film feels almost like a documentary, so real are scenes played out and as Emad's quest takes a potentially dangerous turn as the film enters into its final stretches, The Salesman's tension riddled and fiercely real situation's become some of the year's most wholly captivating, as we're trust headfirst into decisions that will affect these characters lives till the end of their days.Final Say – The Salesman isn't flashy cinema but Farhadi's carefully considered drama has a raw and poignant power that will lay its grip on viewers and won't let go until the credits roll, making The Salesman another fine feature film from one of the world's most consistent and original filmmakers.4 sleeping teachers out of 5

evanston_dad Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi delivers another slow-burn domestic drama in this movie about patriarchal insecurity and helplessness.The film isn't as gripping as "A Separation," but it's still a fascinating character study of a middle aged actor whose wife is assaulted (the details of her assault remain vague, both to him and to the audience) and sets off on a grim mission to seek vengeance on the attacker in whatever way it presents itself. Juxtaposed to these scenes are ones showing him perform in an Iranian production of "Death of a Salesman," the ultimate male mid-life crisis story. Like watching a car accident in slow motion, we see him move closer and closer to his goal even as his wife wants him to quit and we gain some sympathy, however slight, for the attacker. As in "A Separation," Farhadi constructs a complicated set of characters with complicated emotions, not interested in good vs. bad or even right vs. wrong, suggesting instead that perhaps everything is to a greater or lesser degree a shade of gray. But the story he builds around these events isn't as compelling as "A Separation," so the film doesn't have that earlier one's dramatic punch.Winner of the 2016 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, though the excellent German film "Toni Erdmann" really should have won.Grade: A-