The Salesman 2017

Emad and Rana are a married couple who work in the theatre, and their lives revolve around performances, rehearsals, and teaching. In a production of Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, Emad takes on the role of Willy Loman while Rana embodies Linda, giving their days a shared artistic rhythm. Outside the stage, Emad is a well-liked instructor at a local school, where some youths tease him as a “salesman,” a nickname that lingers in the background of their everyday lives.

One night, their apartment suddenly begins to cave in, and they flee with the other residents, shaken but unharmed. To secure a new home, their fellow actor Babak helps them move into a recently vacated apartment, where the previous tenant left behind many belongings in a hurried exit. The couple clears the space by placing the former owner’s things outside, trying to make sense of the sudden upheaval.

The calm is shattered when Rana is alone at home, preparing to bathe, and Emad returns to find her missing and the bathroom smeared with blood. Rushed to the hospital, the couple learns that Rana was assaulted by an intruder who had been let in through the intercom, mistaken for Emad upon his return. Neighbours clue Emad in that the former tenant was a prostitute who had conflicts with her clients, adding another layer of danger to the events.

Rana returns home bearing the psychological scars of the attack. She is overwhelmed by trauma, reluctant to go to the police, and refuses to bathe or re-enter the bathroom. During a performance, she breaks down in tears and exits the stage. Although Rana cannot recall the attacker’s face, Emad discovers the culprit’s car keys left behind, matching a pickup parked outside. The intruder also left a mobile phone and money that Rana had used for groceries, believing Emad had left it for her. As the investigation unfolds, Emad grows increasingly suspicious of Babak, resenting the secrecy that shrouded the former tenant’s fate.

The plot thickens as Emad turns to one of his students—whose father once worked for the police—for help. He learns the truck’s owner can be traced to a man named Majid. Pretending to need a mover, Emad lures Majid to their old, now-empty apartment, only to have Majid’s prospective father-in-law show up instead. It becomes clearer with time that the older man is the intruder, although he denies attacking Rana, hinting that he may have merely startled her. In a moment of tension, Emad calls the old man’s family to the apartment and locks him in a small room, intending to reveal his true character to everyone present. When he opens the door, the old man appears to have heart trouble, and Emad rushes to Rana in a panic. Rana, aware of Emad’s plan for revenge, warns that their relationship may end if he pursues it.

As the family arrives, they believe they are responding to a medical emergency and thank Emad for saving Rana’s life. Before they depart, Emad insists on settling his score with the old man in private, returning the money he had left behind after Rana’s assault. Unseen by the departing relatives, Emad slaps the old man, who collapses as the family leaves and an ambulance is summoned. The couple then returns to the theatre together, their shared life continuing to hinge on the unsettled lines between performance, truth, and vengeance.