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Forushande (The Salesman) is the story of a couple whose relationship begins to turn sour during their performance of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman.
Prior to winning countless major accolades for his brilliant “A Separation,” director Asghar Farhadi used to be a playwright. It comes as no surprise, then, that his latest feature, the remarkably subtle and affecting “The Salesman,” centers around Arthur Miller’s famous play. While the titular “salesman” doesn’t die in Farhadi’s film (at least not in real life), Miller’s spirit is fervently alive throughout the narrative, its protagonist, similarly to Willy Loman, gradually coming to grips with reality. A deft meditation on political and personal oppression (and how the two intertwine), the crumbling of a marriage, revenge, status and the pursuit of happiness, all wrapped in a “contemplative-to-the-point-of-leisurely” thriller-like package, Farhadi’s commendable new entry into a decaying cinematic world is bound to bring him even more awards and recognition. Man’s already snagged A Palm d’Or nomination and two awards in Cannes: one for Best Screenplay and another for Best Actor.
The film starts with a rumble, and then a roar, as a building begins to cave in for no discernible reason, its inhabitants fleeing through shards of broken glass and down collapsing steps – among them, our “hero,” schoolteacher/theater actor Emad Etesami (Shahab Hosseini). A camera pan reveals a giant tractor, ripping through the building with its mechanical claws, disregarding the fact that there are still people inside.
Emad’s friend, Babak (Babak Karimi), offers temporary shelter to Emad and his “partner and wife” – and theater acting mate, Rana (Taraneh Alidoosti). An abandoned apartment, its previous female resident leaving next-to-no trace behind – except for a locked little room stuffed with her belongings – it doesn’t seem like the worst choice… at first. As things get revealed about that stranger – and a traumatic event occurs, rendering the Etesamis unsafe in their new abode – their relationship begins to disassemble, akin to their old building. Unable to seek help from the police – this would embarrass them for eternity in the eyes of the entire neighborhood, and lead to nothing anyway – Emad resorts to personal investigative methods, and a side of him, previously unknown to Rana, starts to surface.
The intense, heart-wrenching finale takes place in the same apartment the Etesamis fled at the start of the film, exemplifying the ouroboros-like nature of Farhadi’s narratives, but also displaying how cracks in a political regime that spawn such atrocities may ultimately lead to cracks in a personal relationship (the giant cracks on the walls of Etesamis’ apartment speak for themselves) – a catalyst, so to speak, that brings out the best and worst in people by putting them on the very edge of sanity. For instance, the Etesamis perform their play, over and over again, almost joylessly, because it’s an outlet for their creativity, but also, maybe subconsciously, to give the oppressive government – the same government that confiscated Emad’s “questionable” textbook choices and cut entire scenes out of Miller’s play – a big middle finger. “What a disaster, this town,” Emad says bitterly at one point. “If we could raze it all and start again…”
Those are the things that struck me in the film, but the beauty of “The Salesman” is that it’s open to interpretation (see interview with the director below, conducted after this review), raising controversial questions that will lead to hours of deliberation. Be warned: Farad’s film is a slow-burn drama-cum-thriller, with strong emphasis on “slow-burn.” While thoughtful, assured and incisive, it doesn’t exactly get your heart racing until its final, gut-wrenching sequence, nor does it reach the epic heights of the director’s transcendent “A Separation.” But nor does it try. The acting from the two leads, filled with compassion, remorse, guilt, pride and love, is expectedly stellar (I wouldn’t have it any other way from the remarkable helmer). Compassion is key here, as all characters display moments of empathy that resonate in the grim setting: helping a disabled man out of a collapsing apartment complex; friends and neighbors sticking together during tumultuous times in this tainted, new setting; the offer of shelter in itself – though later rebuked – means a lot to our two hapless protagonists.
I had the privilege of sitting down with director Asghar Farhadi after the film. The man is eloquent, soft-spoken, passionate and very intelligent. All of those qualities are palpable in his work. Here’s hoping no salesman in the world could get the humble award-magnet to follow in the footsteps of his fellow indie directors, like Taika Waititi or J.A. Bayona, and make “Thor: Lost in Jurassic Park” next.
Available on Blu-ray & DVD Tuesday, May 2nd
