The Past

Date: 21/10/2014 Times: 7:30 pm - 9:40 pm

Made by the director of The Separation, Asghar Fahardi, which won Iran’s first ever Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar, this is a film set in Paris but with three main characters who are French, Iranian and Arab.  However, he is not so interested in cultural identity as in how the past affects the present and how we keep secrets even in our most intimate relationships.  The narrative keeps us interested in the main characters and their children and relatives, with several twists and turns.  All the time we are seeing how difficult it is to move on from past attachments.

The actors are uniformly superb and this includes several children.  A lot of the film is shot in small rooms or with tight head shots, adding to the sense of claustrophobia and how hard it is to get away.

The film won the Ecumenical Jury prize at Cannes and was nominated for the Palme D’Or. Berenice Bejo won the Best Actress Award.

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Venue: William Loveless Hall