Iran back in Oscar race with ‘Salesman’ – Bening, Adams snubbed

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This image released by Twentieth Century Fox shows Ryan Reynolds in a scene from the film ‘Deadpool’. The popular film failed to receive an Oscar nomination on Jan 24. (AP)

LOS ANGELES, Jan 25, (Agencies): Iran returned to the Oscar race on Tuesday with domestic drama “The Salesman” in a foreign language film category that included a Danish war drama, a quirky German comedy, Australian entry about a remote Pacific tribe, and the tale of a grumpy Swede.

Director Asghar Farhadi, who in 2012 gave Iran its first ever Academy Award with domestic drama “A Separation,” was nominated on Tuesday for his latest Farsi-language movie “The Salesman.”

In “The Salesman,” an Iranian couple’s relationship is strained as they perform the American stage classic “Death of a Salesman.”

Iranian censors can impose strictures on filmmakers in the name of Islamic morality and national morale, although Farhadi, who lives and works in Iran, said his 2012 film was not subjected to such censorship.

On Tuesday, Farhadi said artistic restrictions in Iran remain about the same.

“In terms of making my film, I don’t face any difficulty. But when the film is released, notwithstanding its great reception by the public, there is a minority, a very small minority, who attempt to create obstacles. Those kinds of people would even perceive this nomination as some kind of conspiracy,” the director told Reuters.

Depicts

Australia this year had its first ever nomination in the foreign language film race with “Tanna.” It depicts a man and woman whose forbidden love affair threatens a peace deal between two Yakhel tribes on the South Pacific island of Tanna and is shot in their native language.

Sweden’s “A Man Called Ove” is about a widower whose bleak outlook is improved when he befriends an immigrant neighbor, while Germany got a nod for father-daughter comedy “Toni Erdmann.”

Denmark’s World War Two drama “Land of Mine” tells the story of German prisoners of war forced to remove landmines from a Danish beach.

“It makes a huge difference to be part of that (Academy Award) club,” said director Martin Zandvliet.

Notably absent from the short-list this year was French-language “Elle,” which won the foreign language Golden Globe earlier in January.

Even so, its star Isabelle Huppert was Oscar-nominated in the best actress race for her role as a business woman on the trail of the man who raped her.

“I think that the film might be disturbing on the surface, but deep inside there is an integrity to the film,” Huppert said.

One of the best known of the nominees announced Tuesday is “Toni Erdmann,” a generational-divide comedy from German writer-director Maren Ade that was a sensation at Cannes in May. The film, almost three hours long, also touches on themes of political and social conflict.

“I cannot tell you how proud I am and how incredible this feels!” Ade said in a statement. “It was a very long journey to make this film — we all never thought anything like this could happen. Thank you for making me such a fortunate filmmaker.”

Co-producer Jonas Dornbach, speaking from Berlin, said the film has been well received because almost everyone can find something that resonates with them personally. “This film speaks about the family and the father-daughter relationship, and everyone has a family, everyone has a certain role in the family, so everyone can really connect,” he said.

“The Salesman” is a psychological thriller about a young couple in Tehran involved in a production of Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman.” They move into a new apartment, where a violent act connected to a former tenant changes their lives.

“The greatest consequence of this event is that a greater number of people will see this film and as a result my world will grow,” Farhadi said in a telephone interview from Tehran. And he added: “This is really a two-way phenomenon. Just as my world grows, so does that of the audience.”

He noted that it was a sad time in Tehran because of last week’s deadly fire and collapse of a high-rise building. “But I hope this news will be a little bit uplifting for everyone,” he said.

Surprise

Sometimes the biggest surprise on Oscar nomination morning is when there’s no surprise at all. This year many of the exclusions just came down to the fact that some of the categories, like best actress, were too competitive. And no matter how deserving, there were always be a few who have been in the conversation from the start who miss the final cut.

A few notable Oscar nominations, or lack thereof, that will have people talking.

Just a few months ago, Annette Bening was considered a shoo-in for what was supposed to be a two-woman race between her for playing the matriarch in “20th Century Women” and Natalie Portman for “Jackie” — a redux of their “Black Swan” and “The Kids are All Right” showdown. And then good movies kept coming out and Bening’s subtle, humanistic performance was the casualty. It was pretty much decided that she was out of the Oscar race when the Screen Actors Guild passed her over, but there was still the smallest of chances that it wouldn’t matter in the end. Alas, for another year, Bening remains a four-time Oscar nominee. It could have been that it was also just an incredibly strong year for leading female roles. Taraji P. Henson (“Hidden Figures”) and five-time nominee Amy Adams (“Arrival” and “Nocturnal Animals”) were also overlooked.

“Arrival” director Denis Villeneuve, also a nominee, felt Adams’ absence deeply. “She was the one who was deserving the most nominations. She had the movie on her shoulders. She is the soul of the movie,” he told The Associated Press. “That was a disappointment, big, big disappointment.”

There was a lurking suspicion that after its two Golden Globe nominations, a Producers Guild nod and Writers Guild nomination, “Deadpool” might have also edged its way into the Oscar nominations. Yet as charming as Ryan Reynolds is, the foul-mouthed superhero couldn’t snark his way into the hearts of academy voters — even in the technical categories.

Reynolds took it in stride, tweeting congratulations to the “brilliant films” nominated saying that the “regularly scheduled tickle-fight at Camp #Deadpool is still on.”

Don’t think the academy can’t appreciate a healthy serving of pitch-black humor. In the original screenplay category, alongside more traditional fare like “Hell or High Water” and “Manchester by the Sea,” Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou’s “The Lobster” somehow managed to claw its way in there, too. The dark relationship satire starring Colin Farrell has been a favorite among critics’ circles, so it’s no wonder the whip-smart script has infiltrated the ranks. Farrell’s David explaining why he’ll choose to turn into a lobster if he doesn’t find a partner is proof enough: “Because lobsters live for over one hundred years, are blue-blooded like aristocrats, and stay fertile all their lives.”

What scandal? Mel Gibson is officially back in Hollywood’s good graces with a best director nomination for “Hacksaw Ridge,” not to mention the fact that it has grossed over $157.9 million worldwide on a reported $40 million production budget. If there’s one thing Hollywood loves more than awards and money, it’s a comeback story.

 

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