The Past 2013
Directed by
Asghar Farhadi
Made by
Sony Pictures Classics
The Past Plot Summary
Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for The Past (2013). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.
Ahmad, Tahar Rahim, an Iranian man, returns to France after four years to finalize his divorce from Marie, Bérénice Bejo. On the way to her home, he learns that she has begun a relationship with Samir, Ali Mosaffa, the owner of a dry cleaning service, who will share a room with his son Fouad, Elyes Aguis. At Marie’s request, he speaks with her daughter Lucie, Pauline Burlet, regarding her recent troubled behavior. Lucie disapproves of Marie’s new relationship.
Ahmad and Marie attend court to complete their divorce. Just before the meeting with the officials, she tells him that she is pregnant with Samir’s child. Ahmad continues to counsel Lucie, hoping to reconcile her to the situation. She reveals that Samir is still married and his wife is in a coma after a suicide attempt, caused by the revelation that Samir and Marie were having an affair. Samir tells Ahmad that his wife suffered from depression and the suicide attempt was in fact caused by an incident with a customer in his shop. His wife was unaware of his affair and he arranges for Naïma, his employee, who witnessed both the suicide attempt and the incident in the shop, to meet with Lucie.
After hearing Naïma’s story, Lucie becomes distressed and confesses that she forwarded Marie and Samir’s email correspondence to Samir’s wife the day before she tried to kill herself, after calling her at the dry cleaning shop. Lucie disappears, and Ahmad and Samir search for her. Ahmad finds Lucie, who has been staying with a friend, and tries to convince her to tell Marie what she did, saying that Marie has a right to know, now that she is carrying Samir’s child. Lucie does so and Marie becomes enraged, telling Lucie to leave, which she does. Ahmad calms the situation and Marie goes after Lucie, asking her to come back, which she does.
After questioning what feelings he may still hold for his wife, Marie tells Samir what Lucie did. Samir finds this hard to accept and questions Naïma about the events leading up to his wife’s suicide attempt. Naïma states his wife wasn’t even in the shop the day that Lucie said she called. After Marie accuses Lucie of lying, Lucie maintains her version of events saying that she spoke to a woman with an accent on the phone. Samir realizes that she actually spoke to Naïma, who then gave Lucie his wife’s email address. He confronts Naïma, who confesses and explains that his wife had always been jealous of her and had been trying to get her either sacked or deported from France and had initiated the confrontation with the customer. However, Naïma believes that his wife never read the emails, because she came into the shop and chose to drink bleach in front of her, instead of in front of Samir or Marie.
Samir and Marie discuss the events and their relationship. Samir decides that they should focus on their future, while Marie appears conflicted. Ahmad prepares to return to Iran. He says farewell to the children and attempts to talk to Marie about the end of their marriage, but Marie does not let him, stating that she doesn’t need to know such things now. Meanwhile, Samir visits his wife in the hospital with a selection of perfumes, which the doctors have recommended in order to possibly initiate a response. He sprays onto his neck some of his cologne and leans over her lying comatose in her hospital bed. With his face close to his wife’s he whispers to her to squeeze his hand if she can smell it. A tear rolls down her cheek but she remains comatose, and he looks down at her hand, which may or may not be holding his. It is unclear in the final scene whether she is responsive or not.
The Past Timeline
Follow the complete movie timeline of The Past (2013) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.
Ahmad returns to France and learns Marie's relationship
Ahmad arrives back in France after four years, intending to finalize his divorce with Marie. On the way to her home, he discovers that Marie has begun a relationship with Samir, the dry cleaning shop owner, and that Ahmad may have to share a room with Samir's son Fouad. The news unsettles him as the divorce drama begins to unfold.
Marie reveals she is pregnant just before the divorce court
Just before their meeting with officials to finalize the divorce, Marie tells Ahmad that she is pregnant with Samir's child. The revelation changes the stakes of the proceedings and adds a new layer of complication to their relationship. They proceed toward the court amid mounting tension.
Ahmad counsels Lucie about her troubles
While the adults confront their tangled pasts, Ahmad continues to counsel Lucie about her troubled behavior. He tries to help her understand the consequences of family and relationship turmoil. Lucie remains resistant and disapproving of Marie's new relationship.
Lucie reveals Samir's marriage and his wife's coma
During their conversations, Lucie confesses that Samir is still married and that his wife is in a coma after a suicide attempt sparked by the affair's revelation. The truth intensifies the emotional stakes around all the adults' choices. Ahmad and Lucie grapple with how much truth Marie should be told.
Samir explains the suicide attempt involved shop tensions and depression
Samir tells Ahmad that his wife suffered from depression and that the suicide attempt was not solely caused by the affair. He attributes the event to a complex set of pressures, including an incident at his shop. The conversation deepens the mystery around Naïma's later involvement.
Naïma meets Lucie to discuss what happened
Naïma is arranged to meet with Lucie to discuss what she witnessed, including the suicide attempt and the shop incident. The meeting is framed as a way to clarify what really happened before telling Marie. Lucie agrees to hear Naïma's version, though anxiety remains.
Lucie confesses forwarding emails to Samir's wife
After listening to Naïma's account, Lucie becomes distressed and admits that she forwarded Marie and Samir’s email correspondence to Samir's wife the day before she sought her. She also mentions calling a woman with an accent she believed was the wife, adding to the confusion. This confession strikes at the heart of the marriage's unraveling.
Lucie disappears and a search begins
Lucie disappears after the confrontation, prompting Ahmad and Samir to search for her. Ahmad eventually finds Lucie staying with a friend and tries to persuade her to tell Marie what she did. The tension tightens as the truth threatens to erupt in the family.
Lucie tells Marie and Marie reacts
Lucie tells Marie about the forwarded emails, and Marie becomes enraged, demanding that Lucie leave. Ahmad calms the situation and Marie goes after Lucie, hoping to bring her back. Lucie returns, signaling a fragile moment of attempted reconciliation.
The adults discuss their feelings and futures
Marie questions whether Ahmad still has feelings for his wife, and she tells Samir what Lucie did. Samir finds this hard to accept and questions Naïma about the events that led to his wife's suicide attempt. The conversation reveals the tangled loyalties and shifting power among the trio.
Naïma's account solidifies the truth
Naïma maintains that Samir's wife was not in the shop the day of the alleged call, and Lucie says she spoke to a woman with an accent. Samir realizes the woman was Naïma and confronts her about the emails. The confrontation reveals Naïma's involvement and the motives behind her actions.
Final reflections before Ahmad leaves and Samir's vigil
Naïma's confession explains the family dynamics, including the wife's jealousy and Naïma's risk of deportation. The story moves toward an uncertain future as Samir and Marie discuss focusing on their own lives. Ahmad prepares to return to Iran, bidding farewell to the children and attempting one last talk with Marie, which she resists.
Samir visits his comatose wife in hospital
In a quiet, intimate moment, Samir visits his wife in the hospital with a selection of perfumes. He sprays cologne on his neck and leans toward her bed, whispering for any sign she can hear. A tear slides down her cheek, but it remains unclear whether she is responsive.
The Past Characters
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Ahmad (Tahar Rahim)
Ahmad is a thoughtful, principled man who returns from abroad to finalize his divorce, while navigating lingering feelings and a sense of duty toward others. He counsels Lucie and discusses the situation with Marie, aiming to guide them through the turmoil. His patience is tested as relationships grow tangled and moral choices become increasingly grey.
Marie (Bérénice Bejo)
Marie is a conflicted woman at the center of a new relationship, bearing the complexity of a pregnancy and the strain it places on her family. Her pregnancy with Samir's child intensifies loyalties and clashes with Lucie’s expectations. She vacillates between anger, vulnerability, and a longing for resolution.
Samir (Ali Mosaffa)
Samir runs a dry-cleaning business and finds himself navigating a marriage under strain after an affair becomes public. He must balance loyalty to his wife, his child, and his partner’s feelings, facing uncomfortable truths about jealousy and deception. His choices drive others toward conflict and self-reflection.
Fouad (Elyes Aguis)
Fouad is Samir's son, drawn into the adults' tangled consequences and the emotional fallout of the affair. He observes the mounting tensions within his family and serves as a reminder of how secrets affect younger generations. His presence highlights the impact of adult decisions on innocence.
Lucie (Pauline Burlet)
Lucie, Marie's daughter, struggles with troubled behavior and guilt over her role in revealing emails. She pushes the adults to face the consequences of their actions and ultimately seeks to tell the truth. Her reaction underscores the emotional cost of a fractured family and her resilience amid turmoil.
The Past Settings
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Time period
2010s
The events occur in the early 2010s, a contemporary period marked by modern communication, legal proceedings, and everyday family struggles. The setting relies on current social dynamics—email exchanges, hospital visits, and court appearances—rather than historical context. This era emphasizes moral ambiguity and the fragility of relationships under public scrutiny.
Location
France, Iran
The story unfolds mainly in present-day France, with scenes spanning homes, courts, and a hospital that shape the drama. It portrays urban life and a legal process surrounding divorce, exposing social expectations and personal pressures. The narrative also nods to Ahmad's homeland of Iran, highlighting cultural contrasts that influence the characters' decisions.
The Past Themes
Discover the main themes in The Past (2013). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.
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Affairs
A central thread is the entanglement between Ahmad, Marie, and Samir, with Lucie caught in the fallout. The lovers’ choices ripple through family ties, testing loyalties and ethics. The narrative shows how passion clashes with responsibility, often blurring lines between right and wrong.
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Truth
Truth and deception propel the investigation into what happened around the email revelations and the alleged suicide attempt. Characters contest narratives, and misunderstandings fuel guilt and anger. The story explores how small disclosures can reshape trust and relationships.
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Family
Family loyalties are strained as divorce, parenthood, and intimate betrayals unfold. Lucie’s distress highlights the emotional cost to the younger generation. The film asks what it means to protect family while pursuing personal happiness.
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Communication
Communication breakdowns—emails, calls, and whispered conversations—drive the plot and mislead the characters. The absence of clear dialogue creates tension and fuels misunderstandings. The story shows how words can carry as much weight as actions.
The Past Spoiler-Free Summary
Discover the spoiler-free summary of The Past (2013). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.
In the quiet hum of modern Paris, a city that feels both familiar and foreign, Ahmad steps off the train after four years away. The streets he once walked now echo with memories he has tried to set aside, and the looming prospect of finalizing his past with his former wife brings a weight that settles over every cobblestone. The film opens with a measured pace, allowing the capital’s lingering light and subtle textures to reflect the internal landscape of a man returning to confront what was left unresolved.
Marie, his estranged spouse, has begun to carve a new chapter of her own, one that includes a tentative partnership and the complexities that come with a teenage daughter. Through her, the audience glimpses a home that is simultaneously warm and strained, where ordinary moments become charged with unspoken histories. Lucie, the young woman caught between adolescence and adulthood, stands at the crossroads of loyalty to her mother and the lingering echo of her father’s absence, embodying the fragile bridge between the past and the present.
The tone of the story is intimate and contemplative, bathed in a soft, naturalistic palette that mirrors the characters’ emotional currents. Dialogue is sparing yet potent, letting silences speak as loudly as words. As Ahmad navigates the delicate dynamics of his former family, the film cultivates a sense of lingering tension, suggesting that the bonds that once tied them together are both a source of comfort and a well of unresolved grief.
Against this backdrop, each character is poised on the edge of revelation, aware that the choices they make now will echo beyond the streets of Paris. The narrative invites viewers to linger in the spaces between what is spoken and what remains hidden, promising a nuanced exploration of love, regret, and the inevitable pull of memories that refuse to stay buried.
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