The Past

Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi's powerful psychological drama begins with the dissolution of a marriage. As soon as Ahmad (Ali Mosaffa) arrives in Paris from Tehran to finalize his divorce from Marie (Bérénice Bejo), he becomes embroiled in a sticky situation. When Ahmad left four years ago, Marie began an illicit affair with Samir (Tahar Rahim), a married man whose wife now lies comatose in a hospital. Samir has moved in along with his young son, Fouad (Elyes Aguis), joining Marie's daughters: young Léa (Jeanne Jestin) and 16-year-old Lucie (Pauline Burlet). Instead of booking Ahmad into a hotel, as he requested, Marie insists he stay at their dilapidated suburban house, to try to find out what's bothering sullen, rebellious Lucie. The plot thickens when Marie reveals that she's pregnant with Samir's child. Farhadi delineates this complex, multi-layered melodrama bit-by-bit, slowly revealing one pivotal twist after another, as Ahmad—the detached outsider—learns more about the household's mysterious turmoil and shameful secrets. The Past sensitively exposes the tremendous price that vulnerable, insecure children pay when they are inexorably caught up in their parents' self-centered entanglements. Bejo exudes hot-tempered, Gallic sexuality, heedless of the repercussions of her romantic predicaments, while Mosaffa embodies insightful stability, and Rahim stoically endures guilt and misery. An intense and engrossing look at the troubled tapestry of contemporary family life, this is recommended. [Note: Blu-ray/DVD Combo extras include audio commentary by writer-director Asghar Farhadi, a “making-of” featurette (27 min.), a Directors Guild of America Q&A with Farhadi, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for this often powerful drama.] (S. Granger)