Subtraction (2022) User Reviews

A Shallow yet Pioneering Work by Mani Haghighi

[aliirezarezaie · 7/10 · 24 July 2023]

Prior to watching the movie's premiere in Paris, given Mani Haghighi's remarkable creativity, especially demonstrated in films like "Dragon Arrives," I had high expectations for a highly imaginative and unique movie, especially with the idea of Taraneh and Navid together, which was partly fulfilled and partly not.

The storytelling, with its attention to intricate personal relationships that people often try to conceal, is captivating and impactful. It also induces the question of whether we fall in love with people's appearances or their personalities. The inappropriate behavior of a romantic partner, the inability to move on in a relationship, or falling in love outside of it-the film raises questions that define our perception of individuals.

The movie's narrative is such that it proves extremely challenging for the two main characters to portray, and this surpasses the acting ability of even a talented actor like Navid Mohammadzadeh, whose style of acting remains inflexible even in two separate roles in two different films. Thus, the actors could have been chosen more intelligently.

The screenplay tells a fascinating, creative, and maneuverable story for the director. However, quite evidently, Mani Haghighi couldn't inject his mindset from this narrative into the viewers' veins. Perhaps the limited time during the film's production played a role. The movie starts well and progresses reasonably swiftly initially. If we divide the film into three parts concerning its timing, we can observe that the pacing is not only uniform but also not deliberately so, sometimes proving vexing for the audience.

Overall, the film is a distinct one, which might transform the monotonous trend in Iranian cinema in recent decades. Best wishes to dear Mani Haghighi.

An exciting plot that rivals American films.

[ahmed-samii · 8/10 · 4 May 2024]

What would you do if one day you found yourself facing a man who is a copy of you, and then found out that he is married to a woman who is a copy of your wife? Is it a kind of cloning, or is there some mistake, perhaps attributable to a troubled mind burdened with worries and a soul filled with fear and anxiety?

We all have a side to ourselves, that kind and good person who loves goodness and is the first supporter of his family, who takes things simply and calmly without any stressful obstacles. And on the contrary, we also have those personalities contrary to those qualities, and this is what the director (Mani Haghighi) did, who came up with a beautiful and intelligent idea by bringing to life those characters in reality and making them meet and intersect with each other, which negatively affected their lives.

Of course, this is a new color in Iranian cinema, which has accustomed us to realism in many of its films, and even the directors who adopt this issue are very keen to convey that realistic and human quality, and perhaps the most important directing school is the school of the director and the first poet of cinema, Abbas Kiarostami.

The film's title in the original Persian language is "Subtraction," and it refers to the distinction between two people, not taking something from something else or diminishing it, so the Persian title is more accurate than the English title chosen for it.

"Subtraction" is first and foremost a crime film, typically tinged with dark shades, atmospheres of skepticism, and the fervent pursuit of control, with a main character whose identity is blurred, so you don't know if she is herself or another character. But "Subtraction" is also a film about the natural attraction between a man and a woman brought together by something mysterious, which leads to a special relationship between them, and the inevitable "exchange" occurs, taking the relationship on a more cruel path, ending in a tragic fate.

The film was simple in its application but stunning in its idea, as it is somewhat similar to the film "Shutter Island," where you don't really know if you are in reality or a dream or if it's all just imagination from Farzaneh (Taraneh Alidoosti), who brilliantly created it and convinced everyone who watched the film that it is not the same as Mohsen (Navid Mohammadzadeh), who gives the role more than it deserves, and who I consider to be the new generation that will revive Iranian cinema and take it to another level, as it is difficult to make a film consisting of only two actors and a few assistant actors unless you have actors of their caliber.

The only downside to the film is that it wasn't as mysterious as I wanted it to be, and the main events were predictable seconds before the scene for me, and that's what disappointed me. But perhaps the interpretation of the events varies among us.

The noticeable thing is that the director used the rains that were falling all the time as a symbolic reference, with many discussions in the film about an expected imminent hurricane, by minor characters from the neighbors of Jalal and Farzaneh, and about water leaks from the ceilings, as if nature itself is venting its anger on the city, as there are natural phenomena that did not exist before.

The director of the film, Mani Haghighi, says: "I wanted to depict the mood of contemporary Tehran, the repression and anxiety, but also the deep and continuous hope for something better, without presenting an educational or explicit political film. I wanted to tell an attractive and thrilling love story, and to reflect the feeling of the double life that we all live in this amazing and strange city."

A different story with brilliant performances

[parvasnan · 6/10 · 16 September 2023]

The film was produced in the year 2022 and is one of the films that have been illegally published in cyberspace due to problems. Minus the margins of the film in terms of release, it can be said that it is considered one of the different films of recent years in Iranian cinema. A different story with brilliant performances by Taraneh Alidousti and Navid Mohammadzadeh, along with the direction of Mani Haghighi, has made a good movie that is worth watching. However, things like the rain throughout the film, that too in the location of Tehran, are a little far from reality, and maybe the location of the story could have been changed and still use the eerie atmosphere of the rain. It seems that is the best film in Mani Haghighi's directorial career.

Unique and interesting watch

[kctyth · 7/10 · 26 November 2023]

I'll preface this review by saying that I didn't go in "blind", as I had seen the trailer. I'll also say I saw this film with French subtitles, as I don't speak Farsi. I didn't glance away once from the film.

The plot of this film is unique and nothing like other recent Iranian films. This film doesn't deal with social issues head on, and instead has a subtle and unique plot.

I personally had no issue distinguishing between when Taraneh Alidoosti was playing Farzaneh and Bita/ Navid M. Playing Jamal/Mohsen, except for when Haghighi intended for there to be confusion.

The reason I gave this film 7 stars is because some of the behavior of the characters seems quite irrational, but just used to further the film plot.

I would suggest going in blind (not watching the trailer) before heading to the theater, so the first 20-30 minutes will also be a surprise.

It didn't fulfill its promise, at least for those of us limited to reading subtiles

[richard-1787 · 7/10 · 20 August 2023]

This movie starts off with a fascinating premise: if there is someone who looks just like us in this world - but is not a biological twin - how different can they be from us? Quite a bit different, this movie suggests.

The problem, for me, was keeping track of the two different women played by the same actress. Sometimes I really wasn't sure which was which. That's not meant as a criticism, though, because I saw the movie in Persian with French subtitles and don't understand a word of Persian. The actress could have been doing all sorts of things with language to create distinctions, but I had no way of catching them.

I was unhappy with the way the movie turned out because I didn't understand why husband M was so jealous of his wife's interactions with Jahil. It's true that it had been made clear from early in the movie that M had a violent temper. Again, that may have been something I missed because I had to rely on the French subtitles.

The movie held me, but I thought it was longer than it turned out to be. Again, that may have been because I couldn't follow the dialogue itself.

Interesting setup. Relational developments rather than SciFi/Mystery. Stretching the imagination too far beyond believability by introducing two duplicate couples

[JvH48 · 7/10 · 27 November 2023]

Saw this at the Imagine film festival 2023 in Amsterdam. An interesting setup, where relational issues are intended to be more important than the SciFi/Mystery elements, coming about by two identical men and two identical women, all four living in Tehran within a few miles of each other. In such a large, crowded city their resemblance can and will remain hidden for a long time. Until a chance encounter, changing everything.

So far so good. However, the story at hand extends this idea a giant step further by introducing two equally looking married couples. It stretches my imagination far beyond believability. Apart from that, there could have been given more attention to their respective differences.

I think that the filmmakers also wanted to tell us something about the patrimonial society that Iran is. This mission has limited success. We observe differences between the two households when looking at the hierarchical distance between husband and wife, but it is something that we must read between the lines. It easily gets hidden under the hood, as the other plot elements attract much more attention than political and social aspects.

Earlier this year I saw Superposition (Karoline Lyngbye 2023), also presenting two identical couples who meet each other and interact, yet for the remainder both stories differ on all counts, bringing totally different complications and developments. Both film plots are surreal and are difficult to get your head around when thinking about it. In the case of Superposition, I had the idea that the setup was therapeutical for one of the couples who needed that, otherwise their relationship threatened to get stranded.

In the case of Subtraction, however, I was at a loss about purpose, morale and message, if any. I scored 4/5 for the audience award when leaving the venue. In other words, well-made but missing a few chances to exploit the plot better.

A brilliant masterpiece in magical realism genre

[monantebelian · 10/10 · 20 August 2023]

First of all, one needs to understand what magical realism is to be able to understand the movie and its complex theme. Second of all, this genre along side surrealism, is one of the hardest genres to write/direct because when we deal with a real world where the impossible has been defined as "illogical yet true and acceptable" we also have a strong approach to the beautiful realms of philosophy and psychology. The movie is about personality, human behavior and relationships combined with a mystery drama. The whole story is a character study and if you look closely, you can see both similar individuals as only one person and this is the mirror and the parallel that keeps happening and recurring throughout the film just like a loop because there is no start point for this phenomena. It just exists.

There are so many great layers to each character and so much depth to story that some of it only depends on the viewers' perception and point of view. The movie is about the differences within ourselves and the way we deal with our own personal flaws and how our motives can change us or put us in a course of destruction or redemption. It's like a chain reaction. Every step matters and every decision is vital. This is a dark film with a dark ending and it never stops raining. It's like the whole world is crying. Thank you Mani and thank you Taraneh. Better days will come.

New and unique content in the movie Mani Haghighi

[mjnava-30342 · 10/10 · 22 December 2022]

After watching the trailer of the new Mani Haghigi movie, it can be considered a masterpiece of filmmaking in terms of ideas and themes. A very interesting topic has been raised. If a person does not know the summary of the story, he will definitely be surprised after seeing the film, and this shock in filmmaking is definitely attractive to the audience, a film that is not yet known to be released in Iran. We are happy that this type of leap in filmmaking is growing in Iran. Mohammadzadeh seems to be able to play her role well, she is professional and perfect in mystery films. The strong point of this movie, especially in some sequences, should be considered its soundtrack.

All the Names

[zsorani · 8/10 · 25 August 2023]

This film is an adaptation of the novel 'All the Names' written by the renowned author José Saramago.

The actors' performances and the story's theme were excellent, but the screenplay had potential weaknesses.

It is not clear to me why Jalal did not get angry at all when he was beaten,Unless Jalal had fallen in love with Bita. Someone who resembled his spouse but wasn't ill.

I'm not a fan of black and white movies. The notion of some people always having good intentions and some people always having bad intentions is outdated in today's understanding of human behavior.

The attempt to portray Jalal and Bita as innocent in the movie, and the mistaken judgment about their relationship, turned people into black and white categories. Perhaps if the story had developed in a way that an emotional connection between Jalal and Bita had formed, it would have been more reasonable.

The difference with the original story is the same because Saramago does not see people this way.

In the end, I must say that the presence of Jalal's father in the final scenes of the film stirred my emotions. For a moment, I thought it would be wonderful if there were people in this world similar to those we've lost. Perhaps we could find solace by being alongside them.