I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

Fresh and Exciting

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

THE PAST (LE PASSÉ) was nominated for the 2013 Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or award, the Iranian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award , and a Golden Globe. Directed and written by Asghar Farhadi of "A Separation" fame (winner of the 2011 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film). "The Past" is a a web of intrigue of Rashomon proportions. Everyone tells their version of the truth, but they do not explain everything, and the viewer is puzzled by intentions, motives, and history. As "The Past" unfolds, each character is imprisoned by his or her own version of the past. Opportunities to move forward are constantly threatened by each character's backstory. The past seems to dominate and destabilize, reminding us of our own mistakes and unintended consequences.Read my complete review at www.unhealedwound.com

Estranged husband arrives from Tehran to give wife her Paris divorce. There, he meets her current - younger - boyfriend de jour. Also the man's son, as well as his wife's daughters by previous marriages. For reasons that are never quite determined, the woman has bounced around a bit. Of course, commitment is always demanding, and adjusting to another culture only adds to the difficulty. Gradually, secrets emerge about the older daughter's fury, and the boyfriend's comatose wife. Not a fun film, but well acted from an intelligent, adult script. Shot in suburbs far from touristy Paris. Nice to see Iranians not cast as terrorists or zealots.

Lots of movies feel like movies, no matter how hard they try and make them not to. This one feels like a real slice of life.. for all the numerous characters portrayed. The Past is a very good film.. probably one of the best you'll see this year. There are no glaring weaknesses.. OK.. nitpicking you can say some of the subtitles are not on the screen long enough to read them properly.. but that's another separate issue. The acting is absolutely first rate (all the kids are bizarre good.. Bérénice Bejo is superb)..and the script matches perfectly. Everyone involved knows what they're doing.. how many films you've seen recently can you make that claim about. You know when you really look forward to watching something again without too much of a delay.. you've come across something special. This one without hesitation goes into the video library.

After the Oscar success of 'A Separation', Iranian Director Asghar Farhadi was left with the difficult task of following up such a well received Film. To make things more difficult, he decided to make the film in France. Although I have never seen 'A Separation', I am happy to say that on it's own merits, 'The Past' is an excellent film for many reasons.Asghar Farhadi manages to weave together a complex family drama dealing with a myriad of feelings and reactions to a tragedy without being difficult to follow or without the self aware ambiguity which is now becoming a cliché. The story focuses on Marie (Berenice Bejo) who is divorcing her Iranian husband Ahmad (Ali Mosaffa) as she has entered a new relationship with Samir (Tahar Rahim). Samir is a conflicted man whose wife is in a coma after an attempted suicide which may or may not be the result of his affair with Marie. The possible reasons for her suicide are slowly revealed in the many beautifully scripted scenes. Marie's daughter Lucie (Pauline Burlet) is heavily involved in the whole debacle as she reveals initially to her adoptive father Ahmed that she exposed the affair to Samir's wife. Blame is shifted to a number of people involved as these revelations come to light and the issue of all this past trauma is making it difficult for all the characters to move on with their lives. In Marie and Ahmed's case, there is still a little something in their relationship, even though they are getting divorced, and in Samir's case, he may be still in love with his unconscious and possibly dying wife. The film ends with a lasting image that is subtly heart breaking, but with a hint of hope for a few characters who have resolved their issues and have moved on.Each character is well formed and very believable with excellent performances by everyone to match. You feel for every character in the film, including the young children who are played brilliantly by the evidently talented young actors. The film is very dialogue driven and reveals itself at a leisurely pace giving way to some emotionally hard going scenes without resorting to many obvious cliché's. It is a well balanced film which shows how tragic events of the past can effect peoples lives in the present. It is certainly one of the surprise gems so far this year and will hopefully get the praise it deserves because it is outstanding.See my Film Review Blog - www.projectionistreview.wordpress.com