'Le Passé' Wins Raves For Restrained Drama

Le Passé (The Past), the newest film from director Asghar Farhadi, the director of the hit Iranian film A Separation, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday. Le Passé is a drama about a separated couple who reunite to finalize their divorce. The wife, played by Bérénice Bejo from the Oscar winning film The Artist, lives in France, the husband, played by Ali Mosaffa, lives in Iran.

Le Passé was well received at Cannes and has been wracking up rave reviews. “It is an intricate and often brilliant drama with restrained and intelligent performances; there is an elegantly patterned mosaic of detail, unexpected plot turns, suspenseful twists and revelations,” wrote The Guardian.

“The Past… vaults [Farhadi] securely onto world cinema’s A-list. Indeed, Farhadi may be the greatest pure dramatist in the world right now—our closest equivalent to such old-school titans as Chekhov, Ibsen, and Strindberg,” raved The AV Club.

Le Passé could very well win the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.