KEITH on Reels

Directed by critically acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi whose 2011 A Separation won the Oscar for best foreign language film, The Salesman is an emotionally powerful film that masterfully uses simmering tensions between a couple during a particularly trying time to craft a superb slow burn dramatic thriller. The movie follows the married couple Emad and Rana, both professional actors performing in Arthur Miller’s play The Death of a Salesman, who are forced to evict their condemned apartment in Tehran and move to another apartment previously inhabited by a mysterious woman. While she is alone at their new home, Rana is attacked by a stranger who may have been an acquaintance of the previous tenant. Emad becomes increasingly obsessed with finding the culprit and protecting his wife, but in a way that goes too far and consequently strains their relationship. As all this domestic drama unfolds, the couple must continue to act in the famously dramatic Arthur Miller play as if nothing happened back at home. Although there is very little action in the film, the nuanced performances of the main actors, regulars in Farhadi’s other works, create a palpably tense environment in which the characters’ human emotions are riveting in and of itself. Like the filmmaker’s other cinematic masterpieces, the movie is a perfect example of a master storyteller weaving human complexities and difficult societal and cultural issues into a thought-provoking yet enthralling narrative. As it progresses, the film delves into the complicated aspects of justice, revenge, and forgiveness, and how they affect interactions with loved ones at times of crisis. Overall, I found it to be one of the more rewarding cinematic experiences this year because of its powerful storytelling and brilliantly subtle acting performances, and it is more than deserving to win the Oscar for best foreign language film.