In his new film 'The Salesman', Iran's great writer-director Farhadi fashions another Shakespearean-level drama from a relatively minor event. The story begins with a residential apartment building undermined by reckless construction. As a result, a Teheran schoolteacher/actor is forced to move into new accommodation with his actress wife, just as they open a stage production of Arthur Miller's 'Death of a Salesman'. On Emad and Rana's second night in their new home, Rana leaves the door unlocked anticipating Emad's imminent return from the supermarket, and an intruder enters while she takes a shower. Rana suffers a head injury and concussion in a bathroom confrontation, before the stranger flees.
In the claustrophobic atmosphere of Iran's sexually repressive culture, the ripples from this episode grow into a tsunami which threatens to overwhelm the lives of this sympathetic couple. While Rana hesitates to report the matter to the police due to a sense of shame, Emad sets about discovering the intruder's identity from clues left behind in the apartment. His journey into dangerous territory is observed in Farhadi's customary style, until the story arrives at a final act which is excruciating for its unbearable tension and emotional intensity.
In the claustrophobic atmosphere of Iran's sexually repressive culture, the ripples from this episode grow into a tsunami which threatens to overwhelm the lives of this sympathetic couple. While Rana hesitates to report the matter to the police due to a sense of shame, Emad sets about discovering the intruder's identity from clues left behind in the apartment. His journey into dangerous territory is observed in Farhadi's customary style, until the story arrives at a final act which is excruciating for its unbearable tension and emotional intensity.