“The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.” – L.P. Hartley

There are echoes of Hartley’s The Go-Between in Asghar Farhadi’s latest, depicting children caught in the fallout of adult relationships.

The young performers hold their own against mesmeric performances from Bejo, Rahim and Mosaffa, utilising an exceptional script to shape complex and believable characters.

Farhadi’s filmmaking is deceptively simple: look under the seemingly theatrical family drama and you see his mastery of cinema; the symbolism in the mise-en-scène, his use of composition and long takes, and how the narrative subtly moves focus between the protagonists.

Farhadi follows his Oscar-winning film A Separation with another engrossing and intimate drama, revealing a keen understanding of filmmaking and character creation, realised by flawless performances. The Past will stay with you.

RATING: 4/5

INFORMATION

CAST: Bérénice Bejo, Tahar Rahim, Ali Mosaffa

DIRECTOR: Asghar Farhadi

WRITER: Asghar Farhadi

SYNOPSIS: An Iranian man returns to France to finalise his divorce. As his wife prepares to move on with her new lover, he witnesses the disarray the changing relationships have wreaked on their families, especially their children.