SPEC D: Asghar Farhadi. Iran/France. 125 min. Sep 13, 5:45 pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox 1 Sep 14, 1 pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox 1. Rating: NNN
The latest from festival darling Farhadi – who wowed with A Separation, then stumbled with The Past – is an examination of morality and justice in present-day Iran, viewed through the lens of a couple trying to process trauma while acting opposite each other in a Tehran production of Death Of A Salesman.
After his wife, Rana (Taraneh Alidoosti), is assaulted, teacher and occasional actor Emad (Shabah Hosseini) sets out to find her attacker himself, fearing public humiliation if they involve the police. Meanwhile, the couple are forced to confront their issues every night in rehearsal.
The reliance on Arthur Miller’s play feels like a bit of a reach (hey, this movie’s also an allegory for crumbling male selfhood!), and the climax is more than a little manipulative. But Hosseini and Alidoosti find the truth of every scene.
