#forushande

[yinedemeliha]

[richardghohestani]

Forushande

Earlier this week, I watched The Salesman on Amazon Prime Video. The Salesman, which is also known as “Forushande'', is a globally renowned Persian movie directed by Asghar Farhadi. Despite the fact that it has won multiple awards, including the Oscar award for best foregin language film of the year in 2017, I had never heard of it.

The movie started out slow, and uneventful, so initially I didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. Little did I know, it was gradually progressing to a work of art that met its expectations. The movie revolved around a husband and wife who were involved in the theatre, Emad and Rana. Honestly, I had no idea that theatre was even a thing in Iran. In my elementary Persian class, we’ve seen a few documentaries which suggested that there are some serious sanctions on music in Iran, so I was under the impression that theatre fell under the same category. Seeing Rana and Emad’s dedication to their craft, along with the rather packed crowds at the theatre, definitely flipped this stereotype for me.

Like I previously mentioned, I thought the movie started out uneventful. I felt strongly about this, until Rana was attacked in the middle of the night, in her own home. This actually reminded me that not all Iranians are fully good. Although this is obvious, the only association I have with Iranians is what I know in my own family and culture. Knowing the Persian culture in my family and just in general, I totally forgot that there were actually Iranians whose main focus isn’t to kill you with kindness; there are criminals and dangerous people everywhere.

After this attack, the movie began to fulfill its expectations. In Persian culture, family is everything. I think they portrayed the extent that an Iranian would go for their loved ones perfectly. The main character genuinely cares about his wife, and he even values her way more than his passion for the theatre. There was a scene where he goes away from the script to address something in the middle of the play. Once he found the attacker (someone he knew well), he roughed him up and locked him in a room, then went to the theatre. When he told his wife however, she didn’t want anything bad to happen to her attacker. Despite her trauma with the attacker, she didn’t want to harm him in any way. I especially enjoyed the end, because the husband, Eman, let the attacker go, and even gave him back the money he left when he attacked Rana. Emad was put in a tough situation where he ultimately had to decide between siding with the anger and creating his own justice for his wife, and forgiveness.

-RG

Citation (MLA)

Farhadi, Asghar, director. The Salesman, Cohen Media Group, 1 June 2016, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B089Y7DL9W/ref=pv_ag_gcf?cmp=rt_where_to_watch20. Accessed 29 Oct. 2021.

[biragacgibitekvehur]

The Salesman

[ahpiraye]

"Bazen, sanki ben hiç yokmuşum gibi yanımdan geçiyorlar, sanki kimse beni görmüyor, hiç kimse beni fark etmiyor, hiç kimse."

[ozdeg]

[auteurstearoom]

Asghar Farhadi directs Shahab Hosseini on the set of The Salesman. 

[highvolumetal]

The Salesman ,  Asghar Farhadi , 2016.

[birazdabulutlaradamoldursun]

Forushande / The Salesman directed by Asghar Farhadi