Remember Nicholas Fehn? He was a character played by Fred Armisen on Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update” who would bring newspapers on the air with him, then give his own “skewed view” of the headlines. The joke was Nicholas Fehn’s “skewed view” was nothing more than, “What?,” or, “No!,” or some other obvious one or two word reaction. I mention Nicholas Fehn because every day for the last two weeks I wake up and I feel like Nicholas Fehn, offering about the same kind of commentary on today’s headlines. When I read something like, “Trump Imposes Travel Ban On Seven Muslim Countries,” my first response is usually something like, “What? No.”
It’s hard for me to comprehend a world in which Oscar-nominated director Asghar Farhadi isn’t allowed in the United States to attend the Academy Awards in support of his film, The Salesman. This is when I go into full Nicholas Fehn. None of this makes sense. Farhadi released a statement that read:
I neither had the intention to not attend nor did I want to boycott the event as a show of objection, for I know that many in the American film industry and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are opposed to the fanaticism and extremism which are today taking place more than ever … However, it now seems that the possibility of this presence is being accompanied by ifs and buts which are in no way acceptable to me even if exceptions were to be made for my trip.
This basically sounds like someone told him that an exception could probably be made and that his response to that possible exception was some version of, “You can take that exception and shove it up your ass.” It’s extremely difficult to blame him for that reaction. Imagine being invited to a party in which you have to then beg to attend. I would have done the same thing. But the whole thing stinks. Asghar Farhadi being at the Oscars would have been a huge moment and, maybe, could have swayed popular opinion even more that this travel ban is against everything the United States is supposed to stand for.
In playing catch-up before the Oscars, I finally watched my screener of The Salesman. I am now convinced it will win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. First, it’s completely worthy and, second, it will serve as a protest vote for the Academy. Honestly, I couldn’t imagine not voting for it. (The world has changed drastically since Toni Erdmann became the early favorite.)
I do hope people wind up seeing The Salesman. But the people who see it will probably be the people who don’t need their minds changed. I do wonder how people who support this ban would react to this film? Would they be surprised at how Tehran looks like any other modern city? (I know these are things we know, but now I have serious doubts people who support this ban know that.)
But The Salesman isn’t about politics. It’s about a couple, Emad (Shahab Hosseini) and Rana (Taraneh Alidoosti), who star in a local production of Death of a Salesman who had to recently move because of structural damage to their apartment building. (In our current world, I’m pretty sure Trump is Biff Loman.) The problem is their new apartment was once owned by a local prostitute and an ex-client comes by one day to find Rana there alone – which results in her being assaulted. Emad then takes it upon himself to track down the perpetrator.
If The Salesman happened to be about politics, it would be way too on the nose for what’s going on. It’s better this way. It’s a story that could just have easily been made by David Fincher. But now here’s Asghar Farhadi, who never asked to be a part of any of Donald Trump’s dumb decisions, being banned from a country only three days after being nominated for an Oscar. Everything about this is insane. (And I’m turning into Nicholas Fehn again.)
It’s just a shame there will be no rousing speech from Farhadi on Oscar night, because he won’t be there. The United States banned him from coming. Some two-bit clown car of a human being, Donald Trump, banned one of the best directors in the world from attending the Oscars. This is infuriating. You should be infuriated. But if The Salesman wins (and I do think it will), I hope Farhadi at least sends some sort of prerecorded message. This will be a big moment and his voice will be sorely needed.
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