Cannes 2013: Le Passe Review

rating:3

Cannes loves dysfunction, almost as much as it loves the taboo. Give the Jury a portrait of dysfunction, or disintegrating relationships, and they'll generally eat it up, especially if the film-makers choose a fairly stark technique to frame their narrative and leave out the frilly nonsense that Hollywood tends to roll out. That's why Cannes will love Le Passe, Asghar Farhadi's follow-up to 2011's acclaimed A Separation. It is a fairly simple portrait of familial dysfunction, overshadowed by the spectres of a past that none of the characters seem quite able to let go of. The plot follows Ali Mosaffa's Ahmad, as he returns to France to finalise his divorce from estranged wife Berenice Bejo, where he discovers she is now in a relationship with Tahar Rahim. That of course forces an intriguing triangle dynamic between the characters, and that is not to mention the three children involved - Bejo's two daughters and Rahim's son, who characteristically end up the victims of the dysfunction more often than not. All of the character dynamics play out against a background filled with ghosts of the past and unresolved issues - not least Rahim's wife, who lies in a coma after trying to kill herself - and as the characters interact, the plot unravels secrets of the past that threaten to destabilise key relationships even further. All-in-all, the film is emotionally involving, and a fascinating portrait of dysfunctional dynamics between three characters, their children and a very real ghost who lies stricken in a hospital bed. It is wonderfully shot, though without obvious or intrusive artifice, and it relies on both strong characters and a twisting, entertaining plot to keep the interest mostly pricked. Unfortunately Le Passe is just too ponderous and testingly slow - it could easily have been about 30 minutes shorter, and at two hours long, it does feel a little flabby, even for its dramatic impact in other places. It's certainly not as arresting as A Separation, and Bejo does overcook her performance on a few rare occasions, but it remains an intriguing portrait of dysfunction, which feels a little like a human interest detective show, picking at old wounds. It's easy to see why the powers that be at Cannes chose Le Passe, and why it will probably be there or there abouts when it comes to handing out the Palme d'Or. It might not be Steven Spielberg's cup of tea (or so one would assume) but it is certainly a very Cannes-like film.