![\"fireworks-wednesday\"](\"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/fireworks-wednesday.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\nAsghar Farhadi’s third film, Fireworks Wednesday<\/i>, is finally getting an American release (it opens at the Film Forum in New York this week; I’m not sure about other locales but check your art-houses, if you’ve got them.) Farhadi’s 2011 film A Separation<\/i> (it’s a masterpiece) won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film (I reviewed it here<\/a>), and the worldwide sensation that was A Separation<\/i> created a lot of interest in what movies he had done before. About Elly<\/i>, a film from 2009, was not even put out on DVD over here. It was basically un-see-able, and the Holy Grail to those of us in love with Farhadi’s work. It finally got a release last year. I wrote about it here.<\/a> If anything, it’s even better than A Separation<\/i>, although them’s fightin’ words, I realize. Let’s just say: You direct About Elly<\/i> and A Separation<\/i> back to back?? And you wrote both scripts? You’re one of the best film-makers on the planet right now. <\/p>\n I saw Fireworks Wednesday<\/i> when it screened at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2006. It was my favorite film in the festival, but it never got released. Unlike About Elly<\/i>, Fireworks Wednesday<\/i> is available to rent or buy. I have a DVD copy. (And I’m sure About Elly<\/i> will be available to rent soon too.) Fireworks Wednesday<\/i> stars a favorite of mine, Hedye Tehrani (I wish she worked more), as well as the wonderful Taraneh Alidoosti<\/i>, who played the the title character in About Elly<\/i>. <\/p>\n I reviewed it at the time for Slant, and it’s funny to read now since it is pre-A Separation<\/i>, and I had no idea who Farhadi was, and hadn’t seen his two earlier films (which I don’t think got released here either.) He was a great unknown. But the film captivated me.<\/p>\n I Googled it to find images, and was happy to discover that my favorite image from the film was clearly many other peoples’ favorite image as well.<\/p>\n \n Farhadi’s familiar themes, explored in About Elly<\/i>, A Separation<\/i>, and The Past<\/i> (the film following A Separation<\/i>), are there in Fireworks Wednesday<\/i> too. His themes are clear: clashes between the classes in Tehran, and how explosive those clashes can be (A Separation<\/i> being the most searing example). Plus the position of women in Iran, and how their choices narrow as they reach a certain age, as marriage closes in like a prison. Patriarchy isn’t good for anyone. The men are trapped too.<\/p>\n Check out my review of Fireworks Wednesday<\/i> here<\/a><\/big>.<\/p>\n And seek out this film!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Asghar Farhadi’s third film, Fireworks Wednesday, is finally getting an American release (it opens at the Film Forum in New York this week; I’m not sure about other locales but check your art-houses, if you’ve got them.) Farhadi’s 2011 film … Continue reading <\/a><\/p>\n