The Past

2013 2h 10m FR

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 641

DramaMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After four years apart, Ahmad returns to his wife Marie in Paris in order to progress their divorce. During his brief stay, he cannot help noticing the strained relationship between Marie and her daughter Lucie. As he attempts to improve matters between mother and daughter Ahmad unwittingly lifts the lid on a long buried secret...

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Bérénice Bejo
Marie Brisson
Ali Mosaffa
Ahmad
Tahar Rahim
Samir
Pauline Burlet
Lucie
Elyes Aguis
Fouad
Jeanne Jestin
Léa
Sabrina Ouazani
Naïma
Babak Karimi
Shahryar

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Asghar Farhadi
Writers: Asghar Farhadi
Languages: French
Countries: France, Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 97% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 13 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Italy.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Asghar Farhadi, shot by Mahmoud Kalari. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Evgueni Galperine. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Juliette Welfling shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Bérénice Bejo and Ali Mosaffa and Tahar Rahim carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt2404461 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Asghar Farhadi directs. Mahmoud Kalari behind the camera. Evgueni Galperine scores. Juliette Welfling cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in France, Italy. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 97% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 13 years ago.
3International production across 2 countries: France, Italy.
4Directed by Asghar Farhadi, shot by Mahmoud Kalari. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Evgueni Galperine. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Juliette Welfling shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Bérénice Bejo and Ali Mosaffa and Tahar Rahim carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt2404461 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 9 themes, including "depression", "suicide", "coma", "paris, france".
10Released under 18 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Mahmoud Kalari
Original score: Evgueni Galperine
Editing: Juliette Welfling
Production design: Claude Lenoir
Costume design: Jean-Daniel Vuillermoz
Makeup / hair: Lucía Bretones-Méndez
Runtime: 130 min · 2h 10m
Status: Released
Budget: $11,000,000
Box office: $10,631,747
Return: 97% of budget
Original language: FR
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Past (2013)

Also by

Asghar Farhadi

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

badelf2023-01-04
★ 8/10
An excellent, painstakingly slow, unveiling of dysfunctional characters and their relationships, where no one escapes unscathed. In spite of a few minor lapses, the script, directing and acting are impeccable. My guess is that anyone over 40 has suffered a relationship with some of these people. I like that Farhadi made no attempt at resolution. In life, there not be. I was completely exhausted by the time the 130 minutes was over.

Production companies