the salesman

Although there's a slow burn of a pace here, with several scenes meandering, or coming off seemingly mundane, there still contains some thematically deep layers here to provoke your thoughts. Written and Directed by Asghar Farhandi, it seems like he meticulously laid out the scenes in such a way that little touches of facial reactions to small lines of dialogue becomes more important than they seem to be at first. This film may seem simple enough in the beginning, but it's the growing complication of the premise that will grab hold off you until the end, along with some incredible set pieces that are very arresting to see play out. 

Shahab Hosseini as the husband Emad, and Taraneh Alidoosti as his wife Rana, are simply fantastic here. Playing a couple who are also stage actors, there's a parallel between their characters' craft and their personal lives. The way they try and keep an outside persona to try and hide their true emotions inside comes into play really well. The boiling build up of Emad's fortitude to follow through on the devastating event that happened may be the main plot that drives the story, but it's also the tragic situation that Rana is put in and how she reacts to it that will break your heart. 

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