The Past (2013)
Asghar Farhadi's quietly devastating French drama about divorce, buried secrets, and the weight families carry without knowing it.
The Past - Movie Information
- Original Title: Le passé
- Release Year: 2013
- Directed by: Asghar Farhadi
- Type: Movie
- Genres: Drama, Mystery
- Age Rating (US): PG-13
- Runtime: 2h 10m
- Original Language: French
- Spoken Languages: French
- Release Date (Theatrical): May 17, 2013 (France), December 19, 2013 (United States - PG-13), September 5, 2013 (Canada), October 17, 2013 (United Kingdom - 12A), January 30, 2014 (Germany - 12), July 21, 2013 (New Zealand), June 15, 2013 (Australia), November 21, 2013 (Italy), April 16, 2014 (Spain), December 26, 2013 (South Korea - 15)
- Alternative Titles: Il passato (IT), El pasado (ES), گذشته (IR), Fortiden (NO), Menneisyys (FI), Le passé - Das Vergangene (DE), Geçmis (TR), Το Παρελθόν (GR)
- Production Companies: Memento Films Production, France 3 Cinéma, BiM Distribuzione, Alvy Distribution, CN3 Productions
- Production Countries: France, Italy
The Past - Plot
After four years apart, Ahmad returns to his wife Marie in Paris in order to progress their divorce. During his brief stay, he cannot help noticing the strained relationship between Marie and her daughter Lucie. As he attempts to improve matters between mother and daughter Ahmad unwittingly lifts the lid on a long buried secret...
The Past - Trailer
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The Past - Cast & Crew
Director(s)
- Asghar Farhadi
Main Cast
- Bérénice Bejo
- Ali Mosaffa
- Tahar Rahim
- Pauline Burlet
- Elyes Aguis
- Jeanne Jestin
- Sabrina Ouazani
- Babak Karimi
- Valéria Cavalli
- Aleksandra Klebanska
Writers
- Asghar Farhadi
Producers
- Alexandre Mallet-Guy
The Past - FAQs
What is The Past about?
The Past follows Ahmad, who travels to Paris after four years away to finalize his divorce from Marie. What begins as a practical visit quickly unravels into something far more complicated, as he discovers a tense rift between Marie and her teenage daughter Lucie — and a deeply buried secret at the heart of the family.
What secret does Lucie hide in The Past?
Lucie knows something about the circumstances that led to Samir's wife falling into a coma — and that knowledge is eating her alive. As Ahmad digs deeper into the family's tensions, the truth slowly surfaces, reshaping everything we thought we understood about the characters and their motivations.
Where can you stream or rent The Past?
You can rent or buy The Past on Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube, and Fandango At Home. If you'd rather not pay, it's also available to watch for free with ads on YouTube Free. Plenty of options to choose from.
Does The Past have a definitive ending?
Farhadi deliberately leaves the ending open to interpretation. The final scene is quietly devastating and refuses easy resolution — a signature of his storytelling. Viewers are left to sit with the ambiguity, which has sparked considerable debate about what the closing moments truly mean for the characters.
Who are the main actors in The Past?
The film stars Bérénice Bejo as Marie, Ali Mosaffa as her estranged husband Ahmad, and Tahar Rahim as Samir, the man now in Marie's life. Bejo won the Best Actress prize at Cannes for her performance, and the entire ensemble delivers remarkably naturalistic work.
Is The Past worth watching?
Absolutely. The Past earned near-universal critical acclaim, with Farhadi's meticulous unraveling of family guilt and moral complexity drawing comparisons to his Oscar-winning A Separation. If you appreciate slow-burn dramas built on character revelation rather than plot mechanics, this one is essential viewing.
Did The Past win any major awards?
Yes — Bérénice Bejo won Best Actress at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival for her role as Marie. The film also received a César Award nomination for Best Film and was widely recognized on the international awards circuit, cementing Farhadi's reputation as one of world cinema's most compelling voices.
How does The Past compare to A Separation?
Both films share Farhadi's trademark structure: a seemingly simple domestic situation that gradually exposes layers of moral ambiguity and hidden truths. The Past trades Tehran for Paris and Persian for French, but the emotional architecture is unmistakably the same — tense, empathetic, and deeply human.
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