#farhadi

“In Asghar Farhadi’s Oscar-winning moral parable The Salesman, the writer-director’s longtime acting collaborator Taraneh Alidoosti delivers a stunning central turn that earns our admiration for what the actress both does and doesn’t do. As Rana, a married Iranian actress who is assaulted by a stranger one night in a new apartment, Alidoosti refuses to embroider the character with personal touches or make her exceptional in ways that transcend the confined events and traumatic revelations depicted within the film. This daring lack of distinctiveness could conceivably run the risk of alienating an audience were it not for the actress’ sterling, measured technique, which betrays potent flashes of toughness and devastation, but mostly an increasing recessiveness that proves just as worrisome to those surrounding her on screen as it does to the engrossed viewer. Alidoosti’s watchful restraint consummately traces the arc of an everywoman struggling to collect her bearings after a harrowing encounter, all the while privately pushing back against a role which she never intended to play — that of victim.” — Matthew Eng

The Oscars Clap Back: Attendees Speak Out Against Trump’s Travel Ban

“It’s a great honor to be receiving this valuable award for the second time. I would like to thank the members of the academy, my crew in Iran, my producer, Amazon, and my fellow nominees. I’m sorry I’m not with you tonight. My absence is out of respect for the people of my country and those of other six nations whom have been disrespected by the inhumane law that bans entry of immigrants to the US. Dividing the world into the “us” and “our enemies” categories creates fear. A deceitful justification for aggression and war. These wars prevent democracy and human rights in countries which have themselves been victims of aggression. Filmmakers can turn their cameras to capture shared human qualities and break stereotypes of various nationalities and religions. They create empathy between us and others. An empathy which we need today more than ever.”