Films › Asghar Farhadi

The Salesman (2016)

Film

DirectorAsghar Farhadi

Meta takes3

Figures

Locations

The collapsing apartment building at the beginning of the film → Cinematic Psychogeography
The mise-en-scène of the unfinished new apartment → The Liminal Space

Form & technique

Emad's final confrontation scene with the Old Man
The sound design during the assault scene (footsteps, shower, buzzer) → The Unseen Voice

Tropes

The "Death of a Salesman" play-within-the-film
Rana's post-assault silence and selective memory
Emad's obsessive investigation into the attacker's identity
Emad's refusal to involve the police
The class difference between Emad/Rana and the Old Man

Films most connected to The Salesman

Rain Man (1988) — via The Liminal Space
Infernal Affairs (2002) — via The Liminal Space
Three Colors: Blue (1993) — via The Liminal Space
Closer (2004) — via The Liminal Space
The Departed (2006) — via Cinematic Psychogeography
(500) Days of Summer (2009) — via Cinematic Psychogeography
Nightcrawler (2014) — via Cinematic Psychogeography
Live Flesh (1997) — via Cinematic Psychogeography