Prime Video: Only 7 days left to see Tahar Rahim’s most exciting film yet

With Le Passé, released in 2013, Asghar Farhadi made his first film outside of Iran. This heart-wrenching drama, starring Tahar Rahim, Berenia Bejo and Ali Mosafa, tells the story of a couple who fall apart while building another, but with dire consequences.

We follow Ahmed (Ali Mosafa) who travels from Tehran to Paris to finalize his divorce from Marie (Bérénice Bejo), his French wife. During his stay, he befriends his older daughter Lucia, who is at odds with her mother because she is pregnant with Samir (Tahar Rahim).

Lucy’s problem is that she is still married and her husband is in a coma after a suicide attempt. Ahmed tries to calm the situation between mother and son, he involves all the parties involved and brings up the tragic elements of the past.

The strength of Farhad’s film is, of course, due to the subtle writing of the characters, but also to the indomitable performances of its actors. Throughout this drama, the characters hide their feelings with unspoken motives and actions. By stripping down his film, avoiding constant talk and anxiety outbursts, Farhad develops something deeper: the ability to communicate honestly.

The script slowly reveals the pieces of its puzzle. Patiently paced with long takes, no soundtrack, and too much dialogue, The Past builds momentum when it becomes clear that Samir’s wife’s plight may be linked to various intertwined family situations.

In an interview with an Australian magazine girl At the time of the film’s release, Tahar Rahim confided his vision for Sameer’s character and how he defines it:

“Like a man tired of life. He holds on to his guilt, caught between the love that still lasts and the new love – between the past life and the desire to move on to the next life. And I think he’s a guy who’s always depressed but keeps it all inside.

It hangs and this is a sign of maturity. He’s a little older than me, in his thirties, and he’s had a few hits in his life. Maybe it inflated faster. Asgar has changed, my hair has gone gray a little. I ended up with a somewhat heavy gait, slow movements, whereas I normally have a much more flexible leg.“

A very accurate description of a character we feel is trapped in vice and torn between two lives. Four years after his triumph at Cannes with Jacques Audiard’s The Prophet, Tahar Rahim has confirmed that he is permanently in the big leagues with this feature, also in Official Competition.

The Past is available on Prime Video until May 8.