The writer/director of A Separation, Ashgar Fahardi, returns to Tehran to examine another marriage in crisis in his intense, suspenseful new drama. Emad, an actor and teacher, and Rana, his wife and also an actress, are forced to move to a new apartment when their home comes dangerously close to collapse. But there are hazards in their new abode as well, which they learn was formerly used by a prostitute. An interloper attacks Rana in her bathroom, an event that traumatizes her and turns Emad into an amateur sleuth.

As Emad becomes increasingly obsessive in his pursuit of vengeance, Fahardi uses the conventions of the thriller to explore the fissures and contradictions in their marriage. He counterpoints this story with the couple's roles in a potentially controversial stage production of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. An astute examination of sexual morality, class and crime in contemporary Iran, The Salesman solidifies Fahardi's reputation as one of the giants of Iranian cinema.

Winner: Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Cannes