The Salesman (2016) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A domestic assault transforms a theatrical couple's displaced life into a destructive search for justice and revenge.

Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases

A Home Beneath Threat

The theatrical couple's domestic life is disrupted when their apartment building begins to collapse. Babak helps them move into an apartment containing the former tenant's abandoned belongings.

Key Events

• Theatre Production Begins — The married couple perform Willy and Linda in Death of a Salesman. Location: Theatre stage
• School Salesman Joke — The husband teaches at a local school, where students joke about his stage role. Location: Local school
• Apartment Building Collapses — The apartment begins collapsing, forcing the residents to flee the building. Location: Apartment building
• Emergency Relocation — The couple needs a new home after escaping the damaged building. Location: Street outside the building
• New Apartment Secured — Babak secures another apartment for the couple after a previous tenant leaves hurriedly. Characters: Babak Location: New apartment
• Former Tenant's Belongings — The couple places the former tenant's belongings outside after moving into the apartment. Characters: Babak Location: New apartment

Violence Behind the Door

An intruder assaults the wife after she opens the door through the intercom. The husband discovers the blood, while neighbors connect the apartment to the former tenant's troubled clients.

Key Events

• Former Tenant's Belongings — The couple places the former tenant's belongings outside after moving into the apartment. Characters: Babak Location: New apartment
• The Bathroom Assault — While bathing alone, the wife opens the door through the intercom and is assaulted by an intruder. Location: Apartment bathroom
• Blood in the Bathroom — The husband returns, finds the bathroom covered with blood, and discovers that his wife is missing. Location: Apartment bathroom
• Hospital Aftermath — The husband rushes to the hospital and learns about his wife's condition from neighbors. Location: Hospital
• Locks Must Change — Neighbors tell the husband to change the apartment locks after the intrusion. Location: Apartment
• Former Tenant's Reputation — Neighbors reveal that the previous tenant was a prostitute who had conflicts with clients. Location: Apartment building

The Search for an Attacker

The wife's trauma damages the couple's daily life and theatrical performance. The husband follows physical clues and grows increasingly hostile toward Babak over concealed information.

Key Events

• Trauma at Home — The wife returns home traumatized and avoids bathing because she fears entering the bathroom. Location: Apartment bathroom
• Breakdown on Stage — During a performance, the wife breaks down in tears and leaves the stage. Location: Theatre stage
• Keys Reveal a Vehicle — The husband finds the attacker's keys, phone, and money, then matches the keys to a pickup truck. Location: Apartment building exterior
• Babak's Concealed Connection — The husband blames Babak after hearing a loving message connected to the former tenant. Characters: Babak Location: Apartment
• Public Stage Insult — The husband calls Babak's character a degenerate during a performance, departing from Miller's script. Characters: Babak Location: Theatre stage

Revenge and Its Cost

The husband traces the pickup truck to Majid but encounters the older intruder instead. He tries to expose and punish the man, while his wife warns that revenge will end their relationship.

Key Events

• Truck Traced to Majid — A student's connection to police work helps trace the truck to Majid. Characters: Majid Location: Former apartment
• Mover's False Invitation — The husband pretends to need a mover to lure Majid to the former apartment. Characters: Majid Location: Former apartment
• Older Man Arrives — Majid's prospective father-in-law arrives instead, and the older man is revealed as the intruder. Characters: Majid Location: Former apartment
• Revenge in the Small Room — The husband locks the older man in a small room, intending to expose him to his family. Location: Former apartment
• Threatened Heart Attack — The older man appears to suffer heart trouble, causing the husband to call his wife in panic. Location: Former apartment
• Warning Against Revenge — The wife says their relationship will end if the husband continues pursuing revenge. Location: Former apartment
• Family Misreads the Crisis — The family arrives believing there is a medical emergency and thanks the husband for saving the older man. Location: Former apartment
• Money Returned — The husband insists on speaking privately and returns the money left after the assault. Location: Former apartment
• Final Slap and Collapse — The husband slaps the older man, who collapses while leaving with his family. Location: Former apartment
• Return to the Theatre — The couple returns to the theatre together after the confrontation. Location: Theatre

Story Breakdown

• Theatre and Marriage — The couple begins within a shared theatrical and domestic life.
  • Death of a Salesman — The couple perform Willy and Linda in the stage production.
  • Schoolroom Identity — The husband teaches at a local school and is jokingly associated with the salesman role.
• Forced Relocation — A collapsing building drives the couple into an unfamiliar apartment.
  • Building Collapse — The residents flee when their apartment building begins to collapse.
  • Babak's Apartment — Babak secures a replacement apartment for the couple.
• Violence at Home — The new apartment becomes the setting for an assault and its immediate aftermath.
  • Intercom Mistake — The wife opens the door believing the returning husband is outside.
  • Bloodied Bathroom — The husband returns to find blood and learns that his wife is missing.
• Trauma and Suspicion — The assault reshapes the wife's behavior and intensifies the husband's suspicion.
  • Avoided Bathroom — The wife fears entering the bathroom and refuses to bathe there.
  • Interrupted Performance — She breaks down in tears and leaves the stage during a performance.
• Clues and Blame — Physical evidence leads the husband toward the attacker while suspicion falls on Babak.
  • Vehicle Evidence — Car keys are matched to a pickup truck, alongside a phone and money.
  • Babak Confronted — The husband blames Babak after hearing a loving message linked to the former tenant.
• The Lure and Revelation — The investigation reaches the former apartment and exposes the older intruder.
  • Majid's Truck — The pickup is traced to Majid through a student's police connection.
  • Wrong Man Arrives — Majid's prospective father-in-law arrives instead and is identified as the intruder.
• Revenge and Consequences — The husband's attempt to punish the intruder endangers both the older man and the marriage.
  • Locked Room — The husband confines the older man while waiting for his family to arrive.
  • Marriage Ultimatum — The wife warns that pursuing revenge will end their relationship.
  • Final Collapse — The husband slaps the older man, who collapses while leaving with his family.

Directed by

Asghar Farhadi

Key Cast

• Shahab Hosseini — Emad Etesami
• Taraneh Alidoosti — Rana Etesami
• Babak Karimi — Babak
• Mina Sadati — Sanam
• Mehdi Koushki — Siavash