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The Salesman

The Salesman (2016)

June. 24,2016
|
7.7
|
PG-13
| Drama Thriller

Forced out of their apartment due to dangerous works on a neighboring building, Emad and Rana move into a new flat in the center of Tehran. An incident linked to the previous tenant will dramatically change the young couple’s life.

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KnotMissPriceless
2016/06/24

Why so much hype?

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Kidskycom
2016/06/25

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

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Kaelan Mccaffrey
2016/06/26

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

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Curt
2016/06/27

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

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p-seed-889-188469
2016/06/28

I enjoyed this movie as I was watching it, with my admiration growing and reaching a crescendo up until about 10 minutes from the end, at which point things headed seriously south. But as the credits rolled and the distractions of the brilliance of the acting and execution disappeared a whole wave of questions came crashing down which pretty much destroyed the underpinning logic of the whole story and undoing any redeeming features it may have hadIf you look at the "story" scene by scene there is very little that stacks up as being logical or natural and the whole thing is exposed as a rickety structure stuck together by bits of string and sealing wax by the director/writer to make some point. While this lack of logic might be forgivable if the point was worth the deception, personally I fail to see what exactly that point is, let alone what it might be worth. Speaking of rickety structures, let's talk about the collapsing building first. Surely this must be the most ridiculously outrageous and unlikely scenario ever concocted to provide the relatively simple premise of someone having to find a new flat. Is the art of building in Tehran so basic that this sort of thing happens on a regular basis? Was that quick cut to a piece of digging equipment supposed to imply that this was the cause of this disaster? Really? And what on earth is the whole point of "The death of a salesman" side issue? If this is supposed to be the classic "play within a play" conceit, a la Saura's Carmen, then I must have missed something, for while indeed in the film's coda a (shirt) "salesman" may indeed have died, if there is any similarity beyond that it went right over my head. And the whole crucial set up of why Rana left the door open is totally tenuous to say the least. As for the culprit rushing off leaving his keys, his phone and his pick-up truck? Ridiculous. And just how did that glass get on the stairs and why did the culprit not have his shoes off? And while his socks were found, where were his shoes? And how come the pick-up truck, apparently a crucial part of at least 2 businesses, was allowed to remain at the flat for a number of days without any of said businesses missing it? And what is all the nonsense with the previous tenant leaving all her belongings at the flat, something that is entirely irrelevant to the story. And how did Ehmad suddenly end up at the Hospital and why is he so unmoved by his wife's plight? What exactly did happen to Rana we never find out - it is ridiculous to think the old man hurt her so we can only presume she slipped and hurt her head. Why was it not possible to find out more information on the man's phone, even if it was "cancelled"? Why was the pick-up truck not examined in detail? What was the point of that episode with Ehmad in the car and a lady wanting to change seats? Why would Ehmad think that the driver of the pick-up truck was the culprit when clearly it is a commual vehicle? Why did he not confront the suspect on the spot instead of making up some hare brain story about wanting to move some things? Why would the suspect actually agree to this, and why when he couldn't come in person would he send his future father in law who is half dead and lucky to make it up the stairs? Who is stupid enough to lock a half dead man in a closet for hours?This, then, is the house of cards that forms the backdrop to the "story". So what is the actual "story"? Basically it can be summarised in a very few simple sentences. A woman is "assaulted", although we never find out if this is because she was startled by a peeping tom and slipped, or whether she was bashed over the head. Said woman has PTSD, well fair enough. Woman's husband is not angry but resentful of woman's subsequent behaviour. Husband identifies the "culprit" and threatens to expose him to his family. His wife gives an ultimatum that if he does so she will leave him. For a moment all seems well and the culprit's family start to take him away. Then, for reasons only known to the husband he reneges at the last minute and exposes the culprit to his family. An ambulance arrives the culprit may or may not be dead and the wife walks out the door.If anyone can tell me the meaning of all this they are a better man/woman than I am. If the movie had stopped before Ehmad exposed the culprit it could at least have ended on a poignant note of redemption and forgiveness, a cliche perhaps, but at least a good one and one that would have redeemed the movie despite its many flaws. By allowing Ahmed to expose him the director destroyed any possible payout for the audience and all we are left with is a bunch of question marks set against an artificial world and involving people we really don't care too much about.In conclusion all I can do is echo what I have already said in my review of another movie by this director ("About Elly"), which is that this movie seems largely an academic exercise pretending to be something deeper than what it actually is.

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proud_luddite
2016/06/29

Emad (Shahab Hosseini) and Rana (Taraneh Alidoosti) are a couple living in Tehran who work in theatre (currently performing in "Death of a Salesman"). In their newly acquired apartment, Rana is assaulted by a stranger and suffers post-traumatic stress. Emad vows revenge.A major event in the movie's first half takes place off-screen. This leaves the viewer in the position of judge rather than witness as we can only surmise events from what others have told. The movie's first half is good though relatively plain. But, as the viewer learns later, it is a build-up to an unforgettable second half. This is a wonderful contrast to the many films where the opposite is true. When a movie's second half is the better one, the viewer is given an unofficial extension of the movie as its impact continues well after the ending.Director/writer Asghar Farhadi brings to "The Salesman" similar themes (and greatness) as he did with "A Separation" (2011) and "The Past" (2013). Among the various characters, we in the audience can understand why some would hate others but, by the end, we have compassion for every single one of them especially after we learn more information about the "villain". In this way, Farhadi is not just a great storyteller but a fine humanitarian as well. By giving all viewpoints sincerely, he challenges viewers to not only do reconsider anger in our personal lives but possibly in how we look at the world as well. This is noble considering the current state of our world.Hosseini and Alidoosti are quite good in their performances but the standout performance comes from Farid Sajjadi Hosseini as a character who enters the picture only in the second half and leaves the most impact in the movie.Like "A Separation" and "The Past", "The Salesman" is food for the soul and it confirms Farhadi as one of the best movie-makers in the 2010s.OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT: Screenplay by Asghar Farhadi

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evanston_dad
2016/06/30

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-

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miriamday-35605
2016/07/01

More in Sorrow than in Anger. I saw Asghar Farhadi's 'The Salesman' 5 days after the terrorist attacks in Manchester, as pictures of the victims were plastered all over the press in a basic violation of their privacy. 'The Salesman' explores the impact of a random act of violence on a marriage. In the wake of the attack, the victim's needs are entirely overlooked as her husband usurps the drama and makes it about himself: his sense of 'his' territory being invaded and polluted, his fragile identity, his anger, his hatred, his violence, his desire for revenge - all of which override the needs and wishes of the actual victim who, ultimately, does not want anyone else to be hurt in her name. In the last century 90% of the victims of war have been civilians - a large proportion of them women and children. In civil conflicts, from Ireland to Bosnia, it is often civilians - particularly women - who build informal bridges between communities. Yet they have been historically excluded from formal peace processes which are brokered between the warring parties - invariably men - this despite research showing that negotiations which include women are more successful. The Salesman explores all this through the psychology of one relationship: a subtle and timely film.

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