Fireworks Wednesday [2006]

Farhadi’s ongoing fascination with the various interlinked facets associated with troubled and crumbling marriages, particularly among the upper and upper-middle classes, can possibly be dated back to his third film Fireworks Wednesday. Most interestingly, the film was set on the day of Persian New Year, in order to contrast the celebrations outside with the characters’ conflicts, as well as to subtly stress upon the truism that life simply goes on. Further, anyone who’s moderately acquainted with the Iranian filmmaker’s style would be aware that he prefers infusing elements of mystery in the form of surprising revelations and even twists rather than having a simple, linear narrative. Roohi (Taraneh Alidoosti), a sweet and naïve would-be bride belonging to the society’s lower economic status, takes a housecleaning job at the high-end apartment of a bickering upscale Teheran-based couple (played by Hamid Farokhnezhad and Hedye Tehrani). The seemingly paranoid wife suspects the husband, who appears to be the more practical kind, of cheating on her with their divorced neighbor, and the young lady finds herself in the middle of intensely heated and ugly arguments that they engage in leave the, and even ends up becoming an unwitting participant in them. By the time the day ends, Roohi is a much more matured person. In a smart storytelling choice, the narrative’s focus kept shifting between the three characters, thus allowing us to be apprised of the day’s proceedings through each of their points of view. And hence, with conclusion of each sequence, we knew more than what they collectively know, and our perceptions kept evolving. The matter-of-fact, non-judgmental tone and naturalistic performances were also worth noting.

Director: Asghar Farhadi
Genre: Drama/Marriage Drama
Language: Persian
Country: Iran