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Search 713 spoiler-free recommendations from 1916 to 2026. Filter by the night you want—not the list you’re supposed to finish.

Direct film viewShowing master rank #387 on its own—not above the ranking.
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DirectorAll directors

Most represented · 6+ films

More recurring directors · 3–5 films54
All directors · surname A–Z438
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Big Three membership
Major award winners

1 selected film

Master Rank balances Greatness, Engagement, and Ease. Sort by Greatness for the artistic-canon view.

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View The Salesman film page
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List

Spoiler-free premise

After moving into a former tenant's apartment, actors Emad and Rana face an assault that changes their marriage and sense of justice.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

Tehran actors Emad and Rana leave their damaged building for an apartment previously occupied by a woman with unknown visitors. After Rana is assaulted there, Emad begins identifying the intruder while both continue rehearsing Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman.

Why it belongs

Farhadi builds an ethical crisis from an apartment mistake, deploying theater, shame, privacy, and Shahab Hosseini's tightening need for control.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Cracked walls, keys, a pickup truck, stairwells, stage rehearsals, and partial neighbor accounts make evidence socially charged—Taraneh Alidoosti's Rana and Shahab Hosseini's Emad reveal incompatible needs for recovery and punishment.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Academy Awards1 win2017 · official ceremony record ↗

Plus 1 additional win

No headline-category win to name

Cannes2 wins2016 · official festival record ↗
Award for Best Actor2016 · Shahab HOSSEINIofficial festival record ↗Award for Best Screenplay2016 · Asghar FARHADIofficial festival record ↗

Totals include every recorded competitive win. Only Picture or top-film honors, Direction, Screenplay, and lead or supporting performances are named.

Good for
Film Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.

Institutional reference ranks

Sight & Sound—IMDb Top 250—AFI 100—
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score

Great Cinema Master List scores

Greatness8.7
Engagement8.8
Ease8.3

Persian · PG-13
Narrative Feature
Mood: Tense & Absorbing