Subtraction

Mani Haghighi's 2022 Iranian film begins with something misseen. Farzaneh, a driving instructor, sees her husband entering another woman's house, although he is in a different city at the time. Following it up, she meets a woman identical to herself and a man who looks like her husband. The film does not explain the doubling as a supernatural matter; it follows the moral collapse that comes as the two couples enter each other's lives. Two actors play all four characters, and the difference is built out of small details of performance. The perpetually rainy image of Tehran is one of the things carrying its tension. As the story advances, the question is not who is who but who is prepared to do what. Who it's for: viewers who like Iranian cinema and psychological thrillers. Who it's not for: anyone waiting for an explanation; the film never justifies the doubling.