6. Asghar Farhadi, Massoumeh Lahidji - The Past
On the other side of the Cannes coin is The Past. This is a film that I initially had much lower on my list (it didn't even crack the top ten) until its enthusiastic reception at the prestigious film festival. There were pundits out there who were high on the film's chances in this category even before its premiere, but given the Academy's reticence to nominate films from other countries (although as illustrated earlier, the Writers branch has often been a welcomed exception to this rule), I remained skeptical. While Iranian director/writer Asghar Farhadi did manage to secure a writing nod from the Academy for his Best Foreign Film-winning movie, A Separation, it seemed akin to catching lightning in a bottle for a second time if Farhadi managed to score another Oscar nomination. Whether the analogy is apt or not, I now believe this is a very real possibility. Of course, it is still extremely early in the game and if shiner, more mainstream films turn out to be more than mere mirages, The Past is likely to be dismissed as, "some obscure French film directed by an Iranian." The response to the film was too genuine and universal for it's chance to be totally ignored though, which is why at the moment, The Past sits on this list. The film is said to be yet another marriage-focused feature from Farhadi. It centers on a French woman who is seeking a divorce from her Iranian husband, a man who abandoned her and their two kids in order to return to his home country, in order so she can start a new marriage with her current lover. The film purportedly has that high-stakes melodrama, with a traditional plot but contemporary sensibilities, that proved so appealing to the Writers branch in A Separation. If it doesn't feel like too much of a retread, than there is no reason to suspect the writers won't be eager to reward Farhadi again. The fact that this film, unlike A Separation, may have a contender in an acting category, can only help as well. French-Argentine actress Berenice Bejo, who was recently nominated for her pantomime performance in 2011 Best Picture winner, The Artist, is said to give a hell of a performance in this film. Whether she will be a legitimate contender will largely depend on how big the field becomes, much as with The Past's screenplay chances, but if one breaks through in their category, it may help the other to contend in its respective category.