Story perspectives

Farhadi Returns at Cannes with Metafictional “Parallel Tales”

5/15/2026

Summary

Farhadi Returns

The Cannes Film Festival premiered Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s French film Parallel Tales in 2026, marking his return after a five-year hiatus.
Actress Isabelle Huppert plays novelist Sylvie, who watches actors Vincent Cassel, Pierre Niney and Virginie Efira across the street with a telescope to fuel her fiction.
Critics call the meta-fictional structure uneven and tedious, giving it a C-grade despite strong performances.
Parallel Tales is seeking U.S. distribution.

Summary

Farhadi Celebrates Sound

Farhadi frames the movie as a tribute to the 100th anniversary of sound in cinema slated for 2027.
Memento serves as the film’s French distributor.
Catherine Deneuve appears in a cameo as Sylvie’s publisher.
Guillaume Deffontaine provides atmospheric Parisian cinematography, especially the sumptuous rain scenes.
Zbigniew Preisner supplies a score that reinforces the film’s mood.

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Farhadi Returns

The Cannes Film Festival premiered Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s French film Parallel Tales in 2026, marking his return after a five-year hiatus.
Actress Isabelle Huppert plays novelist Sylvie, who watches actors Vincent Cassel, Pierre Niney and Virginie Efira across the street with a telescope to fuel her fiction.
Critics call the meta-fictional structure uneven and tedious, giving it a C-grade despite strong performances.
Parallel Tales is seeking U.S. distribution.

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