Director Mani Haghighi is like the rock star of Iranian directors, in which I mean he just doesn't seem to care about what is considered the norm in films from that country (which are mainly social dramas). His films are so different from anything else coming out of Iran in that they are big, broad, often very funny, and less political, and he never makes the same thing twice. They are also very, very entertaining. I had seen Haghighi's two previous films, “A Dragon Arrives!” and “Pig”, at past MIFF's and loved them both, so I was very excited when I noticed that he had a new film premiering at this year's MIFF. When I then saw that the film was a thriller that dealt with doppelgangers, it became one of my most anticipated at MIFF because I am a massive fan of films that deal with the doppelganger phenomenon, and issues of identity. Thankfully, “Subtraction” did not disappoint and I was enthralled right from the beginning.
Whilst the film crackles with directorial energy, the true key to the success of “Subtraction” all boils down to the two leads abilities to create two different characters , making them easily identifiable from one another because obviously each looks the same. Both Taraneh Alidoosti and Navid Mohammadzadeh are phenomenal at achieving this task, as you become convinced that you are watching two distinct couples, and this is done with more than just the average change in clothing and make-up. I must admit that when the two couples originally crossed paths with one another, I initially struggled to work out who was who, but once I worked it out (which didn't take long at all) I was never in doubt as to which variation of the character I was looking at onscreen. The two married couples are Farzaneh and Jalal, and Bita and Mohsen. Farzaneh is pregnant, a driving instructor, and appears to be suffering from some form of depression or anxiety. She is quite withdrawn, says little, and her body posture is quite slumped. Her husband Jalal comes across as the most beautiful man, alive and energetic, always smiling and caring for his struggling wife. He is respectful towards everyone, and willing to lend a hand if someone needs it. Bita on the other hand, is almost like the complete opposite of Farzaneh in that she is full of life, happy, cares about her appearance (often wearing light make up), and adores her young son. Her bright outlook on life is impressive when you see what she has to deal with in her husband Mohsen on a daily basis, who is a dog of a man. He is angry, violent, arrogant, rude and disrespectful, has little time for his son, and expects his wife to do everything for him. If there is a villain of the film, Mohsen is him. As I mentioned above, both Alidoosti and Mohammadzadeh are extraordinary in their two separate roles. It is hard to believe at times that Jalal and Mohsen are played by the same guy due to how extremely different Mohammadzadeh is. You fear him when he is Mohsen, but are totally drawn into him when he is Jalal. Taraneh Alidoosti, who I consider one of the very best Iranian actresses, also effectively plays two sides of the same coin with her characters, but she is able to make you care for them both. You love being in the presence of Bita because of how light and happy she is, but you also feel so sad for Farzaneh he is obviously struggling and it is not her fault at all. Whilst Haghighi doesn't do it often in “Subtraction”, the scenes where Farzaneh and Bita play off one another are superb and highlight just how impressive Alidoosti is at creating these two roles and making them distinct from one another.
What is interesting about the whole doppelganger element to “Subtraction” is that they are not real doppelgangers at all. Even though there is also a scene in the film where Farzaneh states to her doctor that “They don't just look like us. It's like we are clones”, that is not really the case, as they are two distinct couples living apart from one another, unaware of each other, until they eventually cross paths. It is only then that the trouble starts to begin for each couple as questions of identity are raised, as well as the morals behind falling in love with another woman or man who happens to look exactly like your partner. Can it be helped or stopped if one of them falls in love or is drawn to a “better” version of the person they already love? It is actually really interesting stuff. There is a really sad moment when Bita laughs slightly at something Jalal says, and he replies that her laugh reminds him of his wife. She says “of course”, to which he follows “...but she hasn't laughed like that in years”.
The suspense of “Subtraction” comes when, due to the volatile nature of Mohsen, the other three decide not to tell him of the weird phenomenon they have discovered, initially leaving him in the dark. Mohsen has a number of problems in his life, and refuses to either own up to them or even attempt to fix them, but with Jalal and his helpful personality, he wants to pose as Mohsen to fix these problems and ease the pain in Bita's life. The fact that Mohsen does not know of Jalal's existence is where the real suspense kicks in, as they then end up in the same place at the same time. Will Mohsen destroy the attempts of Jalal to fix the situation, and what will happen if or when Mohsen finds out about Jalal and Farzaneh? In fact when you look back at the film after you have seen it, most of the problems come out of Jalal's nature of being helpful, so I wonder if Haghighi is saying that it is often better to not get involved in other people's business, even if you are doing so for the right reasons.
From a technical point of view, “Subtraction” has been handsomely put together. It has some quite gorgeous cinematography by Morteza Najafi, some of the best I have ever seen in an Iranian film, that is very theatrical at times and revels in the artifice of cinema. I am not sure if I am making sense here, but a lot of films that originate out of Iran have a documentary look and feel to them, whereas “Subtraction” has the look and feel of a movie, not real life. It gives the impression that the film was produced on a big budget. Najafi's lighting also adds real suspense to “Subtraction” too, particularly during the scenes that take place in a thunderstorm. One element of the film that I have failed to mention, that is paramount to the tension and suspense built in the movie, is the fact that during the entirety of “Subtraction” Tehran is experiencing a freak weather occurrence where it is pouring with rain the whole time. From a production point of view, this would've made the film that much harder and longer to make, but it really adds so much to the film, similar to how the rain creates the atmosphere in David Fincher's “Se7en”. The rain in the film may even be supernatural in origin, as one of the characters mentions the constant fall of rain, but there are no clouds in the sky. However this is never explored further than this. The other aspect of the film that I loved so much was the non-traditional (from an Iranian point-of-view) score from Ramin Kousha. It is very “big” and continually builds as the tension in the film does.
Going into a film that deals with doppelgangers, you can often sense where the movie is going to end up. There is really only one ending that makes sense, and so while the end of “Subtraction” is a little predictable, I must admit that I was also quite surprised with how Mani Haghighi concluded his film (how's that for a contradictory statement?!). In fact, I was pleasantly surprised and genuinely liked the end of the film, which then finishes on a coda of sorts, with a brief exchange of dialogue between two minor characters, that I found to be chilling.
Right now, director Mani Haghighi is three for three with me, as I found his new film “Subtraction” to be a stunning achievement. It may not be as deep and thoughtful as is the norm for Iranian film, but there is still a lot to digest in “Subtraction”, and it is always very entertaining. Haghighi proves once again that he is brilliant at eliciting excellent performances from his cast (no doubt, him also being an actor has helped him in this regard), and both Taraneh Alidoosti and Navid Mohammadzadeh are outstanding in their double roles. I cannot wait to watch this again one day, and really hope it gets an English friendly blu-ray sometime in the near future, as this is a film I want to own.
4 Stars.
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