Rouhi (Taraneh Alidousti), a young Iranian woman, has the calm, watchful countenance of a neorealist heroine. Mojdeh (Hediyeh Tehrani), the stressed-out wife, suspects Morteza (Hamid Farokh-Nejad), the chain-smoking husband, of cheating, so she gets Rouhi to scope out their newly divorced neighbor, Mrs. Simin (Pantea Bahram), a self-employed beautician. What the three women have in common is that the men in their lives, from husbands to landlords, hold all the cards. Farhadi adds to the tension with the muted rumble of fireworks bursting throughout the city in anticipation of the upcoming New Year’s celebration. Though surrounded by actors of talent, especially the women, Alidousti carries the film by way of her expressive, all-seeing eyes.

Read Kathy Fennessy's full review