The Past

A man returning to Paris after four years comes to finalise a divorce. His former wife has a new relationship, and there is a woman in a coma. The film is not looking for a crime but for responsibility. Each new piece of information invalidates the previous reading; what people did does not change, but what it meant keeps changing. Asghar Farhadi carries this without ever resorting to a scene of explanation. Berenice Bejo took the acting prize at Cannes. It is the director's first film made outside Iran. Who it's for: those who like slowly opening family drama built on moral uncertainty. Who it's not for: viewers who need a clear answer; the film does not decide even in its last shot.