Award-winning Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi is a familiar name at the Cannes Film Festival. This year, the director returned to the French Riviera with a new film, Parallel Tales, that received a little more than five-minute standing ovation; a feat comparatively lesser than his other Cannes win.

Farhadi’s earlier film The Salesman won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay, while his 2021 film A Hero received the festival’s Grand Prix. Both The Salesman (2016) and, before that, A Separation (2011) went on to win the Oscar for Best International Feature, which is a rare achievement for a filmmaker. 

While a standing ovation is a huge honor, the length of the applause and appreciation hints at something else.

Asghar Farhadi’s direction and approach in Parallel Tales were well received at the Cannes Film Festival, with the film earning a standing ovation for more than five minutes, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. However, by Cannes standards, the response suggested that while audiences appreciated the movie, they were not overwhelmingly enthusiastic about it. However, different outlets, such as Deadline, suggested that the movie received a nearly 7-minute standing ovation. 

While the time remains a question, David Rooney, in his review, noted that the film’s slow-paced storytelling may have left viewers feeling drained. Running for 2 hours and 20 minutes, the movie explores voyeurism through author Sylvie, who spies on her neighbours and creates a fictional love triangle for inspiration. Her life takes a turn when she hires an assistant. 

This is Asghar Farhadi’s second French-language drama film and is inspired by Krzysztof Kieślowski's Dekalog: Six. The film also features a star-studded cast. While Isabelle Huppert stars as Sylvie and Virginie Efira plays Anna/Nita, Catherine Deneuve, India Hair, Vincent Cassel, Pierre Niney, and Adam Bessa are also part of the ensemble cast. 

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Apart from Parallel Tales, several other films from the line-up also received standing ovations at the festival.

Paweł Pawlikowski’s new film Fatherland received a six-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival. The movie follows writer Thomas Mann and his daughter Erika as they travel across Germany. Speaking of the standing ovation, the director hoped that the audience connected with the movie.

“I hope at least fifty percent of you really meant it,” Pawlikowski said.

Another movie from the same distributor, Mubi, also received a nine-minute standing ovation. Teenage S** and D**** at Camp Miasma premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival. These are just some of the many films being showed, with many more expected to make history at the event.

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What do you think about Asghar Farhadi’s Parallel Tales? Let us know in the comments.