Compelling as it is, and understandable though it might be that Rasoulof takes a pretty dim view of human nature, these extra turns of the screw can feel like overkill especially with their genre-noir overtones. "Life teaches everybody. Some learn quickly, some learn slowly. Some learn too much, some too little," Reza is told at one point, but the speaker neglects to mention just exactly what the lesson is.
Jessica Kiang
October 30, 2017