What to Stream: The Films of Asghar Farhadi

Will Lerner
·Producer, Yahoo Entertainment

On Jan. 27, President Trump issued an executive order suspending the U.S. refugee program and prohibiting entry to citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries. One of those countries is Iran. Among the many lives impacted by this ban is Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi.

Farhadi is best known for A Separation, released in 2011, which won Best Foreign Language Film at the 2012 Academy Awards. His 2016 film, The Salesman, is nominated for Best Foreign Language Film in this year’s Academy Awards, but if the film wins, he will not be there to collect the Oscar.

In a statement to the New York Times, Farhadi explained he would not be attending the ceremony, writing in part, “I hereby express my condemnation of the unjust conditions forced upon some of my compatriots and the citizens of the other six countries trying to legally enter the United States of America and hope that the current situation will not give rise to further divide between nations.”

Farhadi is a celebrated writer and director, and it’s our pleasure to point out three of his movies that you can stream, right now.

A Separation

Leila Hatami and Peyman Moaadi in A Separation
Leila Hatami and Peyman Moaadi in A Separation. (Photo: Sony Pictures Classics/courtesy Everett Collection)

We’ve already mentioned A Separation, and it’s our first recommendation. It stars Leila Hatami and Peyman Moaadi — who would go on to play a notable part in the HBO series The Night Of — as a couple that must decide between leaving Iran to pursue a better life for their child, or staying to take care of a parent who has Alzheimer’s disease. An Academy Award and Golden Globe winner in 2012, A Separation is available on Amazon, Filmstruck, and iTunes.

The Past

Tahar Rahim and Bérénice Bejo in The Past
Tahar Rahim and Bérénice Bejo in The Past. (Photo: Carole Bethuel/Sony Pictures Classics/courtesy Everett Collection)

Between A Separation and The Salesman came this 2013 film. A story about a couple that is finalizing a divorce, The Past was nominated for a slew of awards, including a Golden Globe. Star Bérénice Bejo got particular notice for her work, winning an award for Best Actress at Cannes. The Past is available on Amazon and iTunes.

About Elly

Golshifteh Farahani in About Elly
Golshifteh Farahani in About Elly. (Photo: Cinema Guild/courtesy Everett Collection)

Our last film is about three couples that travel together on a trip to the Caspian Sea, where they’re joined by two others. Things go awry when a child is found floating in the ocean, and the woman who was supposed to watch him proves to have disappeared. A psychological drama, the critically praised About Elly is available on iTunes and Netflix.

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