MOVIE REVIEWS

Review by Reno

**When the realistic right and an emotional wrong collides.** This is one of the last films I watched as I cleared almost all the titles of this year's Oscars. It is a French-Iranian co-production, but selected and won the Academy Awards for Iran. From the well know filmmaker of that region whose film had already won the same award in the not so past. I'm not just addicted to Hollywood. I'm a film fanatic because I give equal preference to films of the whole world. So I have seen as many as this year's submission for the Oscars in the category of the Foreign Language Films. And there are lots better films than this, that even did not make into the final five. From my perspective, this is an okay film, even comparing with the rest of the fellow nominees, including that I thought that would win, 'Under Sandet'. The mess is all because of Trump effect, as same reason 'Moonlight' to win the main trophy. At least it was not an average film like 'A Separation', though not a masterpiece like 'The Past' that did not even nominated for the Oscars. It stands between them. The title name is not exactly relevant to the story. But it helped to extend the plot for an extra 20-30 minutes. An unnecessary subplot, which really were the boring parts. Or you can say, just to attract the western audience with their ingredient and that worked out as planned for the filmmakers. Except those theatre portions, the rest of the film and its storyline looked like I was watching a French thriller. It is about a young couple who are forced to relocate to another house after their apartment building was declared not safe anymore for some kind of construction taking place in the nieghbourhood which is affecting it. The man is managing his job at a school as a teacher and the remaining time as a theatre artist along with his wife. The life was as usual, till one day something bad happens to his wife at home in his absence. Now he's raged to find the culprit, but once if he did what happens and how the story ends was the another twist. > ❝It's obvious you're not the one who found your wife the other day, otherwise you wouldn't say that.❞ It was a very slow start. I mean the opening scene was like racy. And then following, it slowed to build the momentum. That does not mean the characters were developed so well. It only moves forward with constructing what are all needed for later parts. Once it enters the third act, the scenario changes. It looked like another film, another genre. Too tense moment and tight plot for the grand finale. Yep, that is the part makes this film to forget everything you saw in the earlier. Whatever happened in that part, I felt it was right, though I think culturally it differs the outcome. I mean, that's not philosophically the Iran we know or the religion they worship. You can say the western films badly portrayed them in their films, but if you look at their history, the film ending was shocking. So I thought, the end chaos was for among themselves. If the outsiders (westerners) were involved, it would have been a differently dealt. Very good performances. But not perfectly written screenplay as I pointed out a few things in the earlier paragraphs. And another thing was, the character, particularly the mysterious one, I was not satisfied how it had been developed. He enters the frame only at the last moment. The narration was very suspense and a bit thriller, but then all the sudden everything comes crumbling down since the end was very near to cease the procession. My point is, how that X man was netted does not make sense in reality. Being a film, it has no problem at all. So, it was a good film, but not as good as it was praised or won the Oscars. Yeah, definitely worth a watch. The setting was very good, except the ending, as the opinion differs from people to people and the amount of damage on how to deal with such situation. Overall, a little good message at the end, but not exactly a moral message as it brings more destruction towards the GOOD over the BAD which always win with a strong sentimental grip, no matter whoever involved in it. _6.5/10_