The new film by the Iranian maestro Farhadi falls short of being an unalloyed masterpiece only by comparison with his Oscar-winner A Separation and the enchanting and mysterious About Elly that preceded it.
His first film set outside his native land lacks the evocative cultural resonances that made the earlier films such complete achievements. It has some contrived moments - in particular the use of glass and reflections to represent characters' isolation - and its languid pace can exasperate. But The Past shows that he has not lost his knack for composing intricate domestic dramas that play like first-class thrillers.
When Ahmad (Mosaffa) returns to Paris from Tehran to finalise his divorce from Marie (Bejo, the leading lady of the silent pastiche The Artist), the pair are hoping to move on with their lives. But the film's title turns out to be laden with irony. Farhadi is saying that the past is never over, but perpetually playing out in the present.
With Lucie (Burlet) and Lea (Jestin), her two daughters from an earlier marriage, Marie shares a cluttered house in a drab suburb with her new man, Samir (Rahim), and his son Fouad (Aguis). Her failure to mention these arrangements to Ahmad before making him up a bed in the spare room is one of many misunderstandings packing the plot.
Ahmad is a calm, contained figure, less keen on the divorce than Marie is, and plainly missed in a household where he was a much-loved figure and a steadying influence. But what he uncovers may be beyond even his power to heal.
The story peels back layer by layer as Farhadi, who also wrote the script, adds complication on complication: Lucie is a defiant and troubled teenager with a puzzlingly intense antipathy to Samir; Fouad, whose mother is in hospital for reasons that are unclear, is acting out big time; and Marie is carrying a secret of her own.
The deep humanity that distinguished The Separation is on show. Farhadi's characters are always people who try to do their best but find their actions misfire.
The director elicits pitch-perfect performances from his four main stars - 18-year-old Burlet, playing a 14-year-old is particularly impressive - who move in a domestic dance rich in nuance but devoid of melodramatics or cheap sentiment. It's the work of one of the world's greatest filmmakers in complete command of his craft and should not be missed.
Cast: Berenice Bejo, Tahar Rahim, Ali Mosaffa, Pauline Burlet, Elyes Aguis, Jeanne Jestin
Director: Asghar Farhadi
Running time: 130 mins
Rating: M (offensive language) In French and Persian with English subtitles
Verdict: Soap opera on steroids.
- TimeOut