THE PAST/ LE PASSE
France/Iran, 2013, 130 minutes, Colour.
Berenice Bejo, Tahir Rahim, Ali Mossaf.
Directed by Asghar Farhardi.
Asghar Farhardi has proven himself to be one of the world’s best directors, and one of the best directors to come from Iran.
In his film, About Ellie, he portrayed a group of adult characters interacting on a holiday, something tragic occurring and the repercussions on the life of the group and their perceptions of Ellie. Then came A Separation, impressing audiences at the Berlin Film Festival, winning the main prize (and winning the Ecumenical Prize also), then moving to international distribution, receiving praise everywhere, leading to many awards including Golden Globe and Oscar.
The Past is his next film, with audiences having high expectations. They will not be disappointed. This is a very fine film, continuing in the vein of his previous films and their close study of individuals and interrelationships, often low-key, set within a comparatively small world, but nevertheless showing an extraordinarily humane sensitivity and creating believable characters with both strengths and weaknesses.
The film was made in France, the director not speaking any French but, nevertheless, eliciting wonderful performances from his cast. Berenice Bejo as Marie won the Best actress award in Cannes, 2013 (where The Past also won the Ecumenical Award). She is most persuasive in a very complex role. And the men are impressive as well, Ali Mossaf as Ahmad,her former husband arriving in Paris to sign divorce papers, and Tahir Rahim as Samir, the local drycleaner with whom she is having an affair and wants to marry, especially because she is pregnant.
The performances by some of the children in the film are outstanding, making us wonder how on earth the director elicited such action, feelings, extraordinary expressions of emotions, especially of the young boy). They include Marie’s teenage daughter, as angry a character as you will ever see on screen, resenting her mother and the new liaison, its effect on her, on Samir’s little son, because they have both moved in with Marie. And the performance of the little boy, Samir’s son, is absolutely convincing and passionate, in anger, in wilfulness, ultimately in affection.
All seems well at the airport when Marie welcomes her former husband who had abandoned her four years earlier and returned to his native run Iran. There are smiles, but soon the smiles will disappear, especially as we wonder at Marie’s motivation in inviting her ex-husband back when there is no legal need. And she expects him to stay at her house rather than a hotel which makes it very uncomfortable for him – and the rest of the family. She also wants him to talk to the teenage daughter, her daughter from a previous liaison, but who admires him and listens to him as well as argues with him. Because she does a number of very imprudent actions which have deep effects on the other characters, we feel for her, are aghast at what she has done, but trust that with her confessions she will be able to recover and continue on her life.
Samir owns a dry-cleaning shop and the action moves there later in the film as he returns with his son. In fact, he is married, and the question arises whether his wife knew about the affair or not, if she found out, because she attempts suicide in the shop, complicated by the actions of the young woman who works as an assistant in the shop. As the film opens, she is in hospital in coma.
While all this is happening within a very short space of time and in a rather narrow area of Paris, we see that there are universal themes in relationships, in vindictive attitudes, and the consequences of choices for children, and responsibilities for the consequences, sometimes like attempted suicide, for those not immediately involved in the crises.
The performances are excellent, quite believable, especially in audiences responding sympathetically. The dialogue is powerful, and very credible. In fact, the film does offer a mirror to us all, loves, fidelities, infidelities, rancour, vengeance, angers, with an Iranian sensibility which is quite universal.
One of the best films of any year.
1. The impact of the film? The director and his dramas? Serious, small, focused, but with many layers?
2. The Iranian background of the film, characters, a character coming from Iran? A pervasive Iranians atmosphere?
3. The Paris setting, a French production, the feel of France and Paris? The airport, homes, suburbs, train lines? The dry cleaners? Hospital? Cafe? Interiors? The Paris streets? An authentic feel for characters, story?
4. The title? For Ahmad and Marie? For Samir and Celine? For the children? The past of the past? The immediate past? Dealing with the past and letting it go?
5. The introduction to Ahmad, at the airport, coming from Iran, meeting Marie, pleasant, smile, waiting? An immediate argument, his leaving four years earlier, the reasons, living in Iran? The past and his depression? His marriage and its failure? Maria wanting the divorce? Lea and Lucie?
6. Marie and her motives, for the divorce, her affair with Samir, wanting to marry him, pregnant? At home, relationship with the children? Fouad and his living with her? Celine and the suicide attempt? The effect? The later revelations?
7. Ahmad’s questions, wanting to stay at the hotel, Marie wanting him at home, his discomfort, sharing the room with Fouad, the boy’s reactions? Lea and his bonds? Marie wanting him to talk to Lucie and sorting her out? Going to the school, the parking problems, at home, the meals, bonding with his daughters? Talking with Samir, gradually being informed about Celine, going to the office with Marie and signing the papers? Matter of fact? Going to see his friend at the restaurant, memories, talking, the man’s wife and her help? Lucie going there and their helping her? Ahmad going and handling the situation?
8. Marie and Samir, the relationship, the dry-cleaning shop, the assistant and her role? Fouad and his travelling with his father, in the train? Meeting Ahmad? His wife and the suicide attempt? At the hospital?
9. The daughters, Lucie and her age, her experience, attitude towards her mother, coming home late, at school, disapproving of the relationship, her absences? Ahmad and his being a father-figure, going to the restaurant? The revelation of what she had done about the emails and sending them, her feelings of guilt, the effect, running away, Ahmad pursuing her, helping her, reassuring her? Marie’s anger with her daughter and ousting her?
10. Fouad, a strong performance from the little boy, his age, comfortable with the girls and at Marie’s house, his relationship with his father, his tantrums, his father reprimanding him? His dealings with Ahmad? His feelings, in this situation?
11. Celine, knowing about the affair or not, thinking Samir was having an affair with his assistant? Going to the shop, the anger about the stain on the dress? The assistant and her being put down by Celine, in danger from immigration because she was illegal? The emails and her blame? The wife and the suicide attempt in the shop? Samir, his anger, ousting the assistant?
12. Marie, her future? Pregnant, marrying or not, relationship with her daughters? Ahmad and his return to Iran? Samir and marrying Marie or not?
13. His visit to the hospital, the perfumes, trying to revive his wife – and the tear from her eye?
