It’s one thing to keep track of the Oscar contenders from Hollywood, until you’re reminded that there’s still plenty more to mine from the Best Foreign Film entries coming in from around the globe. Since its debut at the Cannes Film Festival this spring, things have been mostly quiet around “A Separation” and “The Past” director Asghar Farhadi‘s “The Salesman,” but as Iran’s choice for the competition this year, we’re about to hear a lot more.
READ MORE: Cannes Review: Asghar Farhadi’s ‘The Salesman’ Falls Slightly Short Of His Best Work
Starring Shahab Hosseini and Taraneh Alidoosti, the film follows a young couple who move into a new home, only for the remnants of a violent incidence to form a fracture between the two. Here’s the official synopsis:
After their old flat becomes damaged, Emad (Hosseini) and Rana (Taraneh Alidoosti), a young couple living in Tehran, are forced to move into a new apartment. However, once relocated, a sudden eruption of violence linked to the previous tenant of their new home dramatically changes the couple’s life, creating a simmering tension between husband and wife. A master at exposing domestic discord through his multi-layered screenplays, Farhadi’s slow-burning, visceral drama explores the psychology of vengeance and a relationship put under strain while continuing to explore the condition of women in Iran and the male psyche.
“The Salesman” will open in New York and Los Angeles on January 27 with a national roll out to follow.
