Emad and Rana are a middle class couple living in an apartment building in Iran, which, for some unexplained reason, is being demolished without evacuating the tenants first. I guess the building codes in the Middle East are not as strict as here in America. The brooding husband and wife are forced to move to another place which had a mysterious previous occupant. Apparently, the woman who lived there was a prostitute with an extensive clientele. Emad is on his way home to the new domicile when his wife suffers a vicious, violent attack. Apparently, she has been mistaken for the last tenant. The couple are an actor and actress who are performing the very American play by Arthur Miller, "Death of a Salesman." They are working at a small theater which, I guess, is the Iranian equivalent to off Broadway here in New York. Emad also works as a school teacher to pay their living expenses. The film moves back and forth between the stage play and Emad's obsession with catching his wife's attacker. This is a thoroughly depressing journey, and although the lead actors are excellent, I was totally drained emotionally by the not so happy ending. The Salesman is nominated for best Foreign film at the Oscar's, but personally I would pick "A Man Called Ove" as a better choice.
Review of The Salesman
