agmtw logo
search
The Past (2013)

The Past (2013)

Another whirlwind of emotion and a rich study of relationships by Iranian auteur director Asghar Farhadi.

The Very Best

9.0

Movie

Belgium, France
French, Persian
Drama, Mystery
2013
ASGHAR FARHADI
Ali Mosaffa, Babak Karimi, Bérénice Bejo
130 min

What it's about

After four years apart, Ahmad returns to his wife Marie in Paris in order to progress their divorce. During his brief stay, he cannot help noticing the strained relationship between Marie and her daughter Lucie. As he attempts to improve matters between mother and daughter Ahmad unwittingly lifts the lid on a long buried secret...

The take

A Good Movie to Watch features almost every work of Asghar Farhadi for the sole reason that his films, although highly acclaimed and brilliant, are criminally under-watched. As always, Farhadi offers complex, compelling, and contemporary drama and piercing insight into human relationships and emotions. Expect the twists, subtleties, and emotional limbo that you're probably familiar with from A Separation or About Elly. That said, The Past is a bit different, because, for one, it focuses on romantic relationships, and, secondly, it plays in the far more permissive world of a Parisian suburb –⁠ and not in theocratic Teheran. Independent of its location, The Past's key subject is the universally human phenomenon of having to deal with the choices made in the past. In addition to Farhadi's intricate directing and the sensitive script, it is imperative to mention the powerful performances by Ali Mosaffa, Tahar Rahim, and, above all, Bérénice Bejo. An unforgettable experience.

Comments

Add a comment

Your name

Your comment

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

Once Were Warriors (1994)

A Maori family survives in an alienating Auckland in this raw, tragic drama

8.0

My Old Ass (2024)

A pleasant mix of comedy and coming-of-age that may or may not leave you in tears

8.0

My King (2015)

A lover heals her knee and her heart in this contemplative drama about co-dependency

7.0

Rust and Bone (2012)

8.1

The Namesake (2006)

A moving, multi-generational journey of an Indian immigrant family finding their way in America

8.0

The Beat That My Heart Skipped (2005)

A gangster’s son finds a new way of living in this intense, piano-playing neo-noir

7.6

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

If this visually breath-taking and heart-wrenching film doesn't make you cry, nothing will.

9.0

A Bag of Marbles (2017)

Children are the heroes of this tender survival memoir

7.4

Return to Seoul (2022)

A stunning and subversive tale of a woman in search of her roots

8.9

The Sacrifice (1986)

In his final film, Andrei Tarkovsky contemplates the end of the world in this meditative modern twist to the Sacrifice of Isaac

8.1

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.