Cert 12A
130 mins
BBFC advice: Contains infrequent strong language and references to suicde
I suppose the best thing I can say about Asghar Farhadi's The Past is that I found it even more engaging than the much acclaimed A Separation.
Farhadi s fast building himself a reputation as a director who sears to the heart of family dramas by very simple storytelling.
He doesn't rely on special effects, instead leaning on the talent of his cast to translate his wonderful writing to the big screen.
For me, The Past works because its tragedy and consequent melancholy is so believable.
It surrounds a mother of two, Marie (Bernice Bejo), whose estranged husband, Ahmad, (Ali Mosaffa) has returned to France from Iran, after a long separation, unaware that she lives with another man, Samir (Tahar Rahim), and just wants him to validate their divorce.
Immediately, however, questions are posed about where her love really lies because she has asked her ex (who looks very much like her current Iranian beau) to stay with her instead of booking him into a hotel.
As Ahmad delves into Marie's new set-up he discovers that her life is a web of complication.
Thus, there are superbly dovetailed tangents over Samir's first wife and son and Marie's teenage daughter (Pauline Burlet).
Indeed, the longer the film goes on, the deeper the fractures become, culminating in some stunning revelations.
Bejo, who many of us will remember as Peppy Miller in The Artist, is terrific here - becoming more and more overwrought as time goes on.
Meanwhile, Mosaffa and Rahim bring a raw reality to both of their characters.
Ultimately, The Past, similaraly to A Separation, doesn't strive for easy answers to complex relationship questions. But that is another reason why it works so well.
Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 9/10