A theatre artist couple Ehmad & Rana are forced to leave their home as the building is destabilized and rendered dangerous to live in by adjacent construction work. Another theatre friend offers a place he knows for them to move in, but hides crucial information pertaining to the previous tenant. This leads to an untoward incident which adversely impacts their personal and professional behaviors.
Language:
Persian
Running Time:
125 min
Rating:
PG-13 (MPAA)
Release date:
31 August 2016
Directed by:
Asghar Farhadi
Produced by:
Alexandre Mallet-Guy
Asghar Farhadi
Written by:
Asghar Farhadi
Starring:
Babak Karimi
Shahab Hosseini
Taraneh Alidoosti
Ehteram Boroumand
Emad Emami
Farid Sajjadi Hosseini
Music by:
Sattar Oraki
Shot by:
Hossein Jafarian
Editing by:
Hayedeh Safiyari
Distributed by:
Filmiran
Memento Films Distribution

What’s Hot

  • An emotional suspense drama demands captivating performances from the lead cast;Shahab Hosseini and Taraneh Alidoosti have managed to deliver above the expectations. The multitude of expressions from Taraneh and a subdued Shahab compared to hot-head he played in ‘A Separation’, impart the desired impact to the scenes.
  • Asghar Farhadi’s mastery at directing stories with a well-defined core that has an emotional family drama steered off from normalcy by a suspenseful act, is just overwhelming. His characterizations are so unique to enable them showcase a wide variety of emotions while making the tension palpable and real.
  • The minimal invasion into the act that defines the suspense and not dissecting the past lives of the characters are screenplay techniques that are indicative of Farhadi’s confidence on the primary narrative to engage the audience by respecting their intelligence rather than leading them – a wise approach that produces the results we should say!
  • The camera work from a man who has worked with modern Iranian greats such as Abbas Kiaraostami, Jafar Panahi and Farhadi himself, is testament to the many accolades he has won. Hossein Jafarian lends that personal touch to each unconventional frame he uses, which invites the viewers to step into the world of the characters!

What’s Not

  • All the supporting characters in a typical tale assume equal significance to produce an endearing experience. There seems to be a case of an under-performing support cast headed by Babak Karimi including the mystery character in this offering that reflects on the overall output ending up a touch inconsistent on the viewer engagement front.

Badges

Acting
Direction
Screenplay

Verdict

Verdict Stamp

‘The Salesman’ is abundant in skill, technique and mastery over the craft with intricate detailing etched into the narrative. Commendable acting and an intelligent execution elevates it to be earnestly tagged as tough competition to beat!