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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 2 APRIL 2017 38 This Week The latest film by Iranian film- maker Asghar Farhadi may have won its Oscar for Best Picture among the most pointedly politi- cal time in American cinema his- tory – certainly for our generation. There was a sense of poetic justice being meted out when Farhadi – who can already boast of a Best Foreign Film gong courtesy of his earlier masterpiece A Separation (2011) – was both nominated and ultimately won this year. Because Farhadi chose not to at- tend the ceremony in protest of President Donald Trump's so-called – and much-maligned – Muslim ban, in protest of an action he him- self compared to the political stance of certain 'hardliners' in Iran. But now that the dust over that particular story has long settled – and Farhadi has in fact been award- ed the Best Foreign Film Oscar – we can concentrate our sights on the film itself which is, once again, a doggedly realist and deeply poign- ant look at how political unease can worm into our day to day lives. Emad (Shahab Hosseini) and Ra- na (Taraneh Alidoosti) are a couple of stage actors living in Iran who, soon before a premiere of their troupe's production of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, are forced to uproot themselves from their home. The cause is not in fact a bomb or any kind of out- ward wartime intervention – it is in fact down to a digger boring into the foundations of a nearby home without prior notice, or indeed mercy. However, a colleague of theirs is quick to find them a new place to stay nearby, assuring them that the acquaintance it belongs to will not have a problem with them stay- ing over. But the couple's sense of security is shattered when Rana is assaulted while she's alone and waiting for Emad to return with groceries. While Rana recovers fol- lowing a hospital stay and is just about able to carry on with the play, Emad becomes obsessed with seeking justice for the crime, and his mild mannered self soon reveals a vindictive and cruel streak, which threatens to tear the couple apart. Comparing The Salesman to the superlative A Separation is a cruel business, but we may as well ad- dress the elephant in the room. And as it happens… no, A Separa- tion will still beat The Salesman in a fight, no question about it. The earlier film is leaner and meaner, with a tight premise and a single, fragile but well-positioned develop- ment that threatens to implode its characters' lives while we watch on, in delicious dread. The Salesman, on the other hand, is a lot more densely popu- lated – despite, at the end of the day, also having a couple at its cen- tre, and it proceeds at too lax a pace for Farhadi to once again flex his Hitchcockian muscles to full effect. The emphasis on the mundane drudgery in what would other- wise be fairly extraordinary outside of Iran – though Malta's reckless development spree does give one pause as to whether this film's in- citing incident could very well be- come the New Normal here soon enough – does in fact come across as just that for most of the running time, and as our thespian couple flits from domestic unease to on- stage stress a bit of a wearying 'back and forth' dynamic starts to grate on the narrative. But all will be forgiven come the final act, where the nub of the story closes in with all of its claws pointed to our hearts, Farhadi having typically worked very hard to get us to the point where we're glued to the screen. Aided by a masterful performance from Farid Sajadhosseini, who will move you to true, sublime troughs of pity, Farha- di allows himself a bravura flourish by turning the climax of his film – which is about a couple acting in a stage play – into a true theatri- cal set piece, with dialogue wielded like weapons and with fresh revela- tions suddenly tilting the film on its axis. Though it may lose some of its steam round about the mid-point, The Salesman remains a deeply sensitive, engaging and – latterly – suspenseful work from a master of the craft. Oscar or no Oscar, The Salesman is yet another reminder of Farhadi's skills both as a deeply humanist filmmaker, and a director capable of making taut, prolonged scenes that won't leave your mind in a hurry. IN CINEMAS TODAY EMBASSY CINEMAS Valletta Tel. 21 227436, 21 245818 Beauty and the Beast (PG) 10:00, 13:00, 15:40, 18:20, 21:00 Ghost in Shell (12A) 10:25, 13:25, 16:00, 18:35, 21:10 CHIPS (15) 14:30, 16:45, 19:00, 21:15 Smurfs: The Lost Village (U) 10:00, 12:15, 14:30, 16:45, 18:50, 20:55 Power Rangers (12A) 10:20, 13:15, 15:55, 18:35, 21:10 Kong: Skull Island (12A) 13:30, 16:05, 18:40, 21:15 Valletta Living History (U) 10:00, 10:45, 11:30, 12:15, 13:00, 13:45, 14:30, 15:15 EDEN CINEMAS St Julian's Tel. 23 710400 Logan 13 :00, 15 :40, 18:25, 21:10 Power Rangers (12A) 13:35, 16:10, 18:40, 21:15, 23:50 Kong : Skull Island (12A) 13:45, 16:15, 18:45, 21:15, 23:45 The Salesman (12A) 14:00, 20:40 Ghost in the Shell (12A) 14:05, 16:20, 18:40, 21:00, 23:25 Smurfs : The Lost Village (U) 14:20, 16:30, 18:45, 21:00, 23:20 A Quiet Passion (12A) 18:00 Get Out (15) 13:20, 15:55, 18:35, 21:15 Fifty Shades Darker (18) 13:40, 16:05, 18:30, 21:00 Beauty and the Beast (PG) 14:00, 15:00, 17:00, 18:00, 20:00, 21:15, 22:50 Life (15) 14:05 16:25, 18:45, 21:05, 23:25 CHIPS (15) 14:05, 16:15, 18:25, 20:45 Smurfs : The Lost Village (U) 14:20, 16:30, 18:45, 21:00, 23:20 Madama Butterfly (PG) 15 :00 EMPIRE CINEMAS Bugibba Tel. 21 581787, 21 581909 Kong : Skull Island (12A) 10:45, 13:35, 16:05, 18:35, 21:05 Power Rangers (15) 10:40, 13:20, 16:00, 18:40, 21:15 Smurfs : The Lost Village (U) 11:20, 14:00, 16:30, 18:35, 20:45 Beauty and the Beast (PG) 10:30, 13:15, 15:55, 18:35, 21:15 Logan (15) 11:00, 14:00, 18:15, 21:05 Ghost in the Shell (12A) 11:10, 14:00, 16:20, 18:30, 20:45 CHIPS (12A) 11:15, 14:00, 16:15, 18:30, 21:00 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ SALESMAN SASS ★ ★ ★ ★ SELLING LIKE HOTCAKES ★ ★ ★ SOLD OUT ★ ★ SELLING YOURSELF SHORT ★ BARGAIN BIN FILM By Teodor Reljic THE SALESMAN (12A) ★ ★ ★ ★ Emad (Shahab Hosseini) and Rana (Taraneh Alidoosti) are a couple of stage actors whose relationship grows frayed after a home invasion incident The world makes victims of us all Pitiable: Farid Sajadhosseini