The most
difficult part of watching an Asghar Farhadi film, in my opinion, is getting in
the theater or putting the disc in my player. The filmmaking is undeniably
captivating, and I am easily drawn into the stories once they begin, but the
plot of each makes it a difficult thing to desire seeing. Once again returning
to the battleground of emotions amongst lovers who have gone separate ways, The Past is a worthy follow up to
Farhadi’s last success, A Separation.
The melodrama unfolds in a manner that almost makes the narrative a mystery as
well, which helps immensely in making the difficult story more fascinating.
Ali Mosaffa
stars as an Iranian man named Ahmad who separates from his wife to move back
home, while his French wife, Marie (Bérénice Bejo), begins a new relationship
with a man that looks similar to him. The selfishly childish nature of Marie
was the most troubling aspect of the film for me, as she pits her ex-husband
against her new lover, Samir (Tahar Rahim), all the while oblivious to the
impact the shuffling has on her children. Ahmad enters the situation without
warning, despite Marie’s many excuses. The longer Ahmad is around, the more he
is able to peel back the layers of drama in Marie’s new situation, including a
comatose wife that Samir has along with his newfound relationship.
There are a lot
of serious themes built into the melodrama of The Past, giving more depth and meaning to the situation. Farhadi
once again shows an ability to use human emotions as tools of suspense, all the
way to the final scene. It makes no difference that he has made a film in France
The Blu-ray
release includes a commentary track with Farhadi, as well as a Q&A with the
filmmaker at the Director’s Guild of America. The special features also include
a generic making-of featurette.
Entertainment Value:
6/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 8.5/10
Historical
Significance: 7/10
Special Features: 7/10
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