The Salesman

WARNING: This review is hidden because it reveals the content of the film.
Click here to show this review. “The Salesman” deserves every praise it’s received and more. This Iranian film is one finely crafted thriller with uncommon intelligence and a killer ending.

When Emad (Shahab Hosseini) learns that his wife Rana (Taraneh Alidoosti) has been assaulted, he begins searching for the attacker. As he continues to investigate without the help of the police, the stress induced by the incident causes fissures in his marriage.

I went to see “The Great Wall” a few weeks ago, anxious to see something different. I saw more of the same. Director/writer Asghar Farhadi, on the other hand, has made a delightfully Iranian film. This story’s unique view on revenge, forgiveness, grief, remorse, pride and shame is fascinating. It’s commentary on the damage caused to victims of violence and those who try (successfully or unsuccessfully) to relate is universal. At first, I felt furious that Rana insisted on not reporting the incident. As it went along, I understood why and even came to admire the unique way these characters dealt with their situation.

Then, there’s the mystery to be solved. It’s delightfully not American. The conclusion, in particular, made me think. How would I react in this situation? Would I be able to let go and move on, as Rana insists that they do, or attempt to live out that distinctly male fantasy of playing detective and getting payback through physical violence?

“The Salesman” is like an episode of a cooking show where a master chef manages to make a feast out of a rag-tag selection of ingredients. For one, you never find out what crime was really committed against Rana. You know a couple of things, but other details are left deliberately ambiguous. Is it to ensure the film wouldn’t offend (there’s talk of censoring the play Rana and Emad are performing, “Death of a Salesman”), or to help immerse you in the vivid characters? There’s a lot of talk about wanting to ignore what happened to avoid being judged by their neighbors (you can talk a lot about the backward habit of victim-blaming in society) and to start healing. Is that the more civilized thing to do, or does this attack demand retribution? You'll be torn asunder trying to decide.

Anyone who says they saw the ending of this film coming is LYING. The picture isn’t about finding out WHAT happened, it’s about dealing with the fact that it did. Like the attack that kicks off the plot, there are many aspects of the story that are never explicitly revealed, for the better. It allows you to put yourself in this situation, to insert actions that are unique to you into the blanks in a way that wouldn't have worked if the film had been made in North America, where a solution would be so much easier... but necessarily more gratifying. (Original Iranian version with subtitles on the big screen, February 28, 2017)