Since recording Populaire during a recent screening on BBC4,I've been looking for a second title starring Bérénice Bejo.Whilst looking round on Netflix UK,I somehow stumbled across a title starring Bejo.With having been taken by Bejo's role in Populaire,and also having heard a lot about film maker Asghar Farhadi,I decided that it was the perfect time to look into the past.
The plot:
Receiving an E-Mail from his estranged wife Marie over wanting an official divorce, Ahmad leaves Iran for the first time in four years to meet Marie again in Paris.Whilst meeting Marie again,Ahmad notices that Marie's children, (from a previous relationship) appear to be closed-off from talking to their mum.Staying in Marie's house as the divorced is processed,Ahmad is surprised to discover that a man called Samir has moved in as Marie's new lover.Unsure over how serious she is taking things with Samir,and noticing that Marie's eldest Lucie is really uncomfortable around him,Ahmad is surprised to discover that Marie is pregnant with Samir's child.
View on the film:
Directing the entire film via translator,writer/director Asghar Farhadi & cinematographer Mahmoud Kalari give the title an extremely intimate atmosphere,which places the viewer in the backseat listening in on the frosty exchanges,and keeps the audience at a distance that only allows them to hear snippets of dialogue from behind the counter or across the road.Placing everyone in Marie's house, Farhadi delicately reflects the brittle feelings of the inhibitions by covering the house in dry browns and yellows that make it look like it has been worn down over the years.
Spending 2 years in France in order to pick up on the speech pattern , the screenplay by Farhadi has an incredible raw heart at its centre,with Marie,Ahmad and Samir speaking to each other in a frank,off the cuff manner that gives the dialogue a powerful quality. Trimming away any exposition, Farhadi impressively places trust in the viewer to build the full background picture,as Marie and Ahmad carry a full awareness of their past relationship,whilst Samir tries to find some level of clarity over where he and Marie stand.
Cooling down her witty comedic side,the stunning Bérénice Bejo gives a dazzling,expressive performance as Marie,with the criss-crossing of Marie's feelings towards her children and her lovers being smoothly delivered by Bejo,who gives the scenes with Ahmad a frozen in time edge,and Maire's attempt to raise her kids placing Marie in a world of frustrations.Learning French just 2 months before filming, Ali Mosaffa gives a passionate performance as Ahmad,thanks to Mosaffa bringing the care that Ahmad still feels for Maire to the surface,whilst finding himself in transition towards accepting an end to the relationship,as Marie and Ahmad look back to the past.
The plot:
Receiving an E-Mail from his estranged wife Marie over wanting an official divorce, Ahmad leaves Iran for the first time in four years to meet Marie again in Paris.Whilst meeting Marie again,Ahmad notices that Marie's children, (from a previous relationship) appear to be closed-off from talking to their mum.Staying in Marie's house as the divorced is processed,Ahmad is surprised to discover that a man called Samir has moved in as Marie's new lover.Unsure over how serious she is taking things with Samir,and noticing that Marie's eldest Lucie is really uncomfortable around him,Ahmad is surprised to discover that Marie is pregnant with Samir's child.
View on the film:
Directing the entire film via translator,writer/director Asghar Farhadi & cinematographer Mahmoud Kalari give the title an extremely intimate atmosphere,which places the viewer in the backseat listening in on the frosty exchanges,and keeps the audience at a distance that only allows them to hear snippets of dialogue from behind the counter or across the road.Placing everyone in Marie's house, Farhadi delicately reflects the brittle feelings of the inhibitions by covering the house in dry browns and yellows that make it look like it has been worn down over the years.
Spending 2 years in France in order to pick up on the speech pattern , the screenplay by Farhadi has an incredible raw heart at its centre,with Marie,Ahmad and Samir speaking to each other in a frank,off the cuff manner that gives the dialogue a powerful quality. Trimming away any exposition, Farhadi impressively places trust in the viewer to build the full background picture,as Marie and Ahmad carry a full awareness of their past relationship,whilst Samir tries to find some level of clarity over where he and Marie stand.
Cooling down her witty comedic side,the stunning Bérénice Bejo gives a dazzling,expressive performance as Marie,with the criss-crossing of Marie's feelings towards her children and her lovers being smoothly delivered by Bejo,who gives the scenes with Ahmad a frozen in time edge,and Maire's attempt to raise her kids placing Marie in a world of frustrations.Learning French just 2 months before filming, Ali Mosaffa gives a passionate performance as Ahmad,thanks to Mosaffa bringing the care that Ahmad still feels for Maire to the surface,whilst finding himself in transition towards accepting an end to the relationship,as Marie and Ahmad look back to the past.