2/23/2017 - The Salesman (2016) – 7+/10

This may be the highest rating I have ever given to a film that made me question whether I liked it or not. The subject matter and how the characters dealt with it was challenging for me as I screamed inside for action, intensity, and truth. My cries may have fallen fell on deaf ears, or perhaps I was just not interpreting the responses properly. Action - intent and subtlety. Intensity - intricate metaphor and deep bubbling emotional trauma. Truth - alien cultural insights and relational ennui of devastating force.

I wrestled in my seat with this film during and after, but I could feel its path inside me as it wormed its way to my core. I truly felt this film, as my discomfort and strife has lingered and bewitched me. It is a finely tuned script that was well acted. The camera is not flashy, using the intricacies of the smartly plotted scenes, confident pacing and labyrinthine nigh-non verbal characters/communions to carry that weight.

It is a masterfully formed film. Each scene, line, interaction seems to have such heft and significance. The story builds like a constrictor creeping up its victims body, coyly wrapping itself around them, and squeezing out their life breath. It is savage and visceral without the bombast or the decoration. It’s just a feat of storytelling on camera.