THE PAST

Review: An Iranian man abandons his French wife and her two children to return to his hometown. While he is gone his wife strikes up a new relationship. Her husband returns to France to see his wife and asks for a divorce.
Director: Asghar Farhadi
Actors: Berenice Bejo, Tahar Rahim, Ali Mosaffa, Pauline Burlet, Elyes Aguis, Sabrina Ouazani, Babak Karimi and Valeria Cavalli
Year: 2013
Genre: Drama and Mystery
Conclusion: 4/5
The original title for this is Le Passe. I am a huge fan of Asghar Farhadi who has directed some of my favourite films. Other films he has done are About Elly (2009) and also the fantastic A Separation (2011). The director took 4 months to shoot the film and insisted on 2 months of rehearsals beforehand. As much as I loved The Past I didn’t find it as moving as A Separation or really cared about the characters. Most people would remember Berenice Bejo from The Artist (2011). I think she is a wonderful actress. I thought the whole cast put everything into their performances. Great ensemble cast. Ali Mosaffa learned French two months before filming began with the help of his wife, Leila Hatami. This film could almost be described as a thriller. Once again the director returns to the theme of broken marriages. At the Cannes Film Festival in 2013 Berenice Bejo won for Best Actress.