The Saleman

Writer/Producer/Director Asghar Farhadi’s The Salesman is a poignant and thought-provoking film about the impulses to revenge and forgiveness counterpointed with Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, which is being performed by the lead actors Taraneh Alidoosti and Shahab Hosseini and their theatrical company.

 

Forced to move because nearby construction weakens their apartment building, Rana (Taraneh) and Emad (Shahab) move into an apartment owned by their company manager (Babak Karimi).  

Unfortunately, the previous tenant, who had a dubious reputation, has not moved her belongings and a former client of hers, not knowing she has moved, comes into the apartment and violates Rana. 

How she and Emad deal with this violation in their search for the perpetrator provokes issues of honor and punishment.

The film is beautifully constructed with a strong script and excellent performances by everyone in the cast and is well deserving of its Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Picture. 

I give The Salesman a 4.7 out of 5. 

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter

Writer/Director W.S. Anderson’s Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is sure to delight fans of this 15-year-old franchise, starring Milla Jovovich.

 

Ably supported by Ali Lartner, Ruby Rose and Iain Glen, in this final episode, Alice (Milla) faces a plethora of monsters, both human and inhuman, plus thousands of Zombies and is unstoppable, as is the thrilling action. 

I give Resident Evil: The Final Chapter a 3.5 out 5 as a general audience film and 4.5 out of 5 for the fan base.

Loving

Writer/Director Jeff Nichols’ Loving is based on the true story of an interracial couple whose marriage in 1950s Virginia sparked a civil rights battle that, ultimately, went to the Supreme Court.

Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton admirably portrait Mildred and Richard Loving.

The only negative for this fine film is that it moves along too laconically.  Whether this is the fault of Nichols or Editor Julie Monroe is unknown by this reviewer.

The positive for the film is that it is a chilling reminder of the ridiculous horrors faced by loving couples at a time, which we now look back on with disdain.  And, it makes one realize that films of present day America may probably be looked on by future viewers with the same wonder as to how our government could have been so barbarian.

Hopefully future courts will be as understanding of the rights of humans as portrayed in Loving.

I give it a 4.2 out of 5.