As a middle-aged, married mom with a fairly normal (some might say boring) life, I sometimes reminisce about my younger years, when relationships meant drama and suspense and uncertainty. Exciting, right? Certainly never boring. But it’s stories like the one in The Past that make me thank my lucky stars that I grew out of all that and became good friends with the concept of normalcy.
In The Past, a man named Ahmad comes home to finalize his divorce from his wife, Marie, after a four-year absence. Seems like a simple task, but there are truckloads of complications awaiting him. First off, a new man has moved into Marie's house with his sweet young son, who's struggling with recent events. Secondly, Ahmad's teenage stepdaughter is desperately upset with her mother and the new man, and Marie has asked Ahmad to intervene. Plus, there seem to be unresolved feelings between Marie and Ahmad. Oh, and Marie is pregnant, and her boyfriend’s wife is in a coma after a suicide attempt that may or may not be a direct result of the affair.
Whew. The kids are confused and distressed, the parents aren’t handling the kids or the situation very well, people are making very questionable choices, and Ahmad somehow finds himself acting as the central diplomat in this web of messy relationships. It certainly has all the elements of an over-the-top melodrama, but the beauty of The Past is its delicate, subtle, honest approach, which results in a seamlessly told fable.
I try to make it a point to NOT do research on a movie before I see it, and I’m especially glad I didn’t do it in this case. I love going in without preconceived notions and being pleasantly surprised. Turns out, The Past was nominated for a slew of prestigious international film awards, and even won a couple of them, and I can certainly see why. It’s a French film, complete with subtitles, about and by Iranian people, but neither language nor cultural differences got in the way of the story. A delightful cast and flawless directing allow the universal themes involving love and family -- and the complexities that go along with both -- to easily shine through.
The Past opens in New Orleans on February 21 at The Theatres at Canal Place.
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