Ashgar Farhadi has a new relationship drama in circulation, “The
Past” (“Le passe”), this one set in France, and while it is a bit of a mystery
and explores the underpinnings of relationships, I felt less stake in the
situation in this film that I did in “A Separation”.
A French pharmacist Marie (Berenic Bejo) takes in her
estranged ex-husband Ahmad (Ali Mosaffa) and invites him to stay in her home a
few days (for them to finalize a divorce) even though she has a kids predating their
marriage and has a relationship with a younger Muslim Samir (Tahar Rahim) with
whom she is engaged.
This all seems pretty artificial and incredible, and the
only reason given is that Marie doesn’t trust Ahmad to show up so she doesn’t
make hotel reservations. Why not expect
him to? This turns into a drama about
OPC, other people’s children. It’s true
that the script sets up several problematic relationa situations, such as Marie
and daughter Lucie (Pauline Buret) or Samir and his young son. Religious values seem to matter little and
Islam itself is hardly mentioned. Well
into the story, Ahmad finds out that Samir’s wife is in a coma and apparently
tried suicide, although some heinous behavior by Lucie my have instigated
it. Samir and Ahmad almost become, well,
friends. They certainly don’t act like
rivals. And gradually it’s Samir who
turns out to be the most assertive person.
Sony Pictures Classics has actually published the
screenplay, translated into English, online.
I’ve never seen a distributor do this before. (Scripts can be accessed from Scriptorama or
Simply Scripts).
I saw the film at the West End Cinema in Washington DC. The print seemed a bit muffled and off
focus. For two weeks it played only at
Landmark Bethesda Row, an inconvenient location for residents in Virginia.
Wikipedia attribution link for map of France showing
territorial history.
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