Le passé

I just came home from seeing the movie, so it's fresh in my mind right now.

the qualities that this movie has: 1. masterfully directed 2. wonderfully written screenplay (the opening, the ending and the exchanged dialogs are all very well- written.very close to reality.no cheesy scenes.believable) 3. amazing performances

Most of the people who watch this movie, already have "A Separation" in their mind and are automatically comparing the two movies the entire time of watching.I kind of was doing the same thing. but I stopped that thought and tried to enjoy this and focus on this movie only.I'm glad I did so.in my opinion, the two movies are different.this one has a different theme and atmosphere and it's romantic at times. there was more tension in "A Separation" and almost all scenes were showing a stressful moment.but this movie has some scenes in between that are calmer.so it might be considered slow by some, which again I think, is because it's being compared with the director's previous work.

I personally think "The past" is a very well-made movie with an interesting story and a must see.I definitely recommend it to all movie lovers.

I give it a 10, cause I can't really think of anything in the film that I was bothered by, or any weaknesses.

Asghar Farhadi is fast becoming my favourite storyteller of the century. Bringing Le Passe into the screen after his success with A Separation (I haven't watched Elly yet), I am happy to see the same elements (which made Separation memorable) existent in this film.

Both films at the core are focused on family drama, but different challenges altogether. Separation deals with the complexities on a religious viewpoint, and requires swift, high-level decision-making and clever communication skills to undo what could go awry easily in many places. Le Passe's challenge is different in my opinion, it is about the complications on relationship issues - something that is much more relatable to many families out there - that always appear irrational, devastating, and at times result in repercussions through generations.

Farhadi's skills as a filmmaker are unmatched - every single moment in this film is not wasted. His stories are like humanity itself, where things do not appear as they are on the surface and there is always something that more than meets the eye. Similar to Separation, in Le Passe, we see layers upon layers of twists, uncertainties, and agenda unfold and it ends up with the audience knowing that things cannot conclude with a simple solution. These factors, packed with impeccable performances by the lead cast members, are fortunately very very realistic i.e. not over-dramatic or nonsensical(though a lot of shouting war was shown).

The combination of brilliant, intelligent storytelling and impressive delivery of emotional performance is certainly what La vie d'Adèle fail to match - Le Passe is my top film to win the foreign Oscars this year!

Yesterday, I finally watched The Past. As an Asghar Farhadi fan I expected a 2 hour window to the reality of life and I wasn't disappointed. It sure isn't as good as A Separation, but it has many of the defining elements that made A Separation the hit it was.

The acting is great. Not only the adults, but also the child actors perform marvelously. The dialog is quite life-like as in other Farhadi movies and it makes the arguments easy to relate to. What lags behind A Separation in my opinion is the story. It is a mixture of mostly the same elements of tension but not as well crafted. Blame and Judgment drive the plot forward but some of the subplots are a bit loose to the main story. However, I suppose for many of these shortcomings A Separation is to be blamed for setting the bar so high. As in A Separation, conflicts of interest between parents and children are conveyed thoroughly and I admire the movie's engaging representation of these commonplace issues.

All in all, I think The Past is a movie worth watching and I suggest anyone interested in a 2 hour window to some ordinary people's life to watch it.

Another Great storyline by Farhadi, I myself always hated movies and loved books, Asghar Farhadi made drama interesting for me, the story telling is amazing in his movies, no character is lost, everything has something to do with the story. All actors are greatly chosen, Berenice Bejo was as amazing as she could be, Samir and Fouad actors were also very good(and they actually looked like each other!), and Ali Mosaffa of course is a wonderful actor! Maybe this wasn't as great as A Separation but it kept me in front of the screen even for credits,.... He is a novelist, a long interesting drama by him again, A Separation, About Elly, Wednesday Fireworks, all amazing, He is in his early forties, We expect a lot more from him!

The flavors , nuances and tension of A Separation are present in this admirable crafted drama. Realistic portrait of vulnerabilities, fair portraits of characters, wise lines of story, it is a film about loneliness , options, desires, family in special way. A film about meanings of small details, changing everything, about ages and, off course, about past as lifeblood of present. Splendid acted, it gives all the shadows of the fall.