Subtraction (Tafrigh)

Iran, France, 2022, 107'

Cankarjev dom Cinema Subtraction (Tafrigh)

Screenplay: Amir Reza Koohestani, Mani Haghighi
Cinematography: Morteza Najafi
Editing: Meysam Molaei
Cast: Taraneh Alidoosti (Farzaneh/Bita), Navid Mohammadzadeh (Jalal/Mohsen), Ali Bagheri (Farzanehin tast), Esmail PoorReza, Farham Azizi, Vahid Aghapour, Soheyla Razavi, Saeed Changizian
festivals, awards (selection): Toronto 2022

A suspense-ridden psychological drama, the story of a young couple finding their doppelgängers in the middle of Tehran is a new masterpiece by a renowned Iranian director Mani Haghighi who adopts an aesthetic of muted colours and a rain-battered cityscape.

Farzaneh is a pregnant young driving instructor who lives with her husband Jalal. Their marriage is far from ideal, especially because Farzaneh is suffering from chronic depression. One day she spots her husband walking into an unknown woman’s house. When she confronts Jalal, he claims he wasn't in town at that time. With the help of her brother-in-law, Farzaneh decides to look into the matter herself.

Primarily it’s about issues of identity and marriage. It’s a film about a person who remembers how their partner used to be when they first met. There is a distinction between who the partner is now, after a long relationship, after ten years, and when they first met. It is as if you are meeting the person you met ten years ago again, for the first time. And you must choose between the two versions of them. It is challenging and it is your choice to see what you want to see in the other.
Mani Haghighi

Mani Haghighi
Born in 1969 in Tehran. Haghighi received his basic education in Iran, later attending Appleby College in Canada. He took a BA in philosophy in Montréal and directed plays. He moved back to Iran in 2001 and made television commercials, educational films and documentaries. His first feature film, Abadan, was made with no official shooting permit. It was the first Iranian independent feature film to be shot with a digital camera.

Filmography (selection)
2003 Abadan
2006 Kargaran mashghoole karand (Men at Work)
2007 Canaan
2012 Paziraie sadeh (Modest Reception)
2016 Ejdeha Vared Mishavad! (A Dragon Arrives!)
2018 Pig
2022 Tafrigh (Subtraction)