The Salesman (2016): Why I don't think "just let it go" was ever a real option
I just finished The Salesman, and I honestly loved it. What surprised me the most was how many reviews criticize Emad, saying he was driven by his ego, should have listened to Rana, and that his pursuit of the attacker only made everything worse.
Personally, I don't see it that way.
Everything was already worse the moment the assault happened. We see how deeply Ranaa is traumatized: she doesn't want Emad near her at night, yet she's afraid to be alone the next morning. Their marriage is visibly damaged, and even Emad admits he doesn't know how to help her. On stage, Ranaa breaks down because she feels like everyone is looking at her differently. The incident has already changed both of them.
I also see Emad as a fundamentally good person. While Rana is the direct victim of the assault, Emad is a victim of its consequences as well. Watching someone you love go through something like that is deeply traumatic, and seeing your marriage altered overnight is devastating. I think he has the right to respond to that pain. Wanting to confront the man responsible doesn't automatically make him selfish or ego-driven. If his only motivation had been pride, he could have made a public spectacle of it from the beginning. Instead, he respected Rana's wish not to involve the police or create a public scandal. What he ultimately wanted was for the attacker to face the consequences of his actions.
I don't think what Emad did was too harsh. If anything, it was the minimum amount of accountability the attacker faced. He had traumatized Ranaa, damaged their marriage, and had apparently been deceiving his own caring and loving wife for a long time. Being confronted in front of his family doesn't strike me as cruelty , it strikes me as finally facing the consequences of his own actions.
I understand why Ranaa wanted to let it go. In the society they live in, she would likely face invasive questions and judgment instead of support. People might ask why she opened the door in the first place rather than focusing on what the attacker did. So I completely understand why she wanted to avoid the police and put the whole thing behind her.
At the same time, I don't think reporting him would have been wrong. It's not only about Ranaa. What if he did the same thing to another woman? Some actions shouldn't simply be forgotten because they have consequences beyond one victim.
I also don't believe this is something that can truly be "let go." The damage had already been done. Pretending it never happened wouldn't erase the trauma or repair their relationship.
To me, the ending says exactly that. Whether Emad gets his revenge, whether the old man dies, or whether justice is fully served almost becomes secondary. What remains is the fact that this incident happened, and both Emad and Ranaa will carry it with them forever. Their final expressions suggest that neither revenge nor forgiveness can restore what was lost. Even if the ending doesn't provide complete justice, at least the man is finally forced to confront the consequences of his actions instead of walking away untouched.