Review: ‘The Past’

If A Separation was Asghar Farhdi’s breakthrough film, The Past surpasses it in great style. From the very first scene where a woman picks up her ex-husband at the airport in a borrowed car, we know we’re in the hands of a master filmmaker. Even the opening title that continues the motif of windscreen wipers from the pre-credits scene is pitch perfect in the context.

Essentially a love triangle, the film takes place over a few days after Marie has asked Ahmad, her ex-husband, to return to Paris from Tehran to sign the divorce papers. It’s been four years since he left and she wants to end the relationship on a good note – a civilised one. And Ahmad himself wants to say a proper goodbye to Marie’s children from an earlier relationship, who he once lived with and was very close to.

Ahmad’s discomfort first rears its head when he discovers that Marie expects him to stay not in a hotel but in her poky, chaotic flat – where he must rub shoulders with Samir, her new man – an already strained relationship. When Ahmad discovers why, it sends shockwaves through Marie’s family that apologies won’t repair.

Beautifully acted and set against the colourful reality of a multi-cultural Parisian suburb, The Past will grab your heart and won’t let go. There’s comedy, melodrama and tenderness, all perfectly balanced to make a richly textured and multi-layered film – but most importantly, a 100% honest film.

9.5/10

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