Actor, leading man—and Brave New Hollywood mascot—Tahar Rahim (A Prophet) is a blazing star on the European film scene, but he has yet to make the official jump to a Hollywood blockbuster. THE EAGLE (starring with Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell) was not it.
From our perspective, it’s a savvy move. He gets to challenge himself with material Tinseltown generally won’t touch as well as build box-office credibility with audiences around the globe. When he makes the inevitable leap to Hollywood, you can say you heard all about him on BNH first. In the meantime, fans of the handsome French-Algerian actor can look forward to a couple of new pictures, one of which is likely to land on U.S. shores in time for Oscar season.
In its Cannes Film Festival review, HitFlix says Grand Central, the second film from director Rebecca Zlotowski, is “the sophomore jump that will cement her status as one to watch within the global filmmaking community.”
Rahim plays a 31-year-old manual laborer “struggling to get by… Desperate for money, he lies about his criminal record and signs on for a job with a nuclear power company that will potentially expose him to high levels of radiation.” He joins a team of clean-up workers and, needless to say, complications ensue.
In its review, Variety observes Rahim boasts “a surfeit of old-fashioned movie-star charisma.” The film is “an engrossing, superbly acted working-class melodrama” with “(a) love triangle so intense it’s practically radioactive.” Grand Central does not yet have a U.S. theatrical release, but keep your ear to the ground.
In the meantime, Rahim landed a plum role in the next film from acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi. The Past (Le Passé) co-stars Berenice Bejo (The Artist) and is the follow-up to A Separation, which won the Academy Award as best foreign language film. Film fans in the U.S. will likely get a look at Rahim thanks to the heavy awards pedigree for The Past, one of the buzzed-out films at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
The Guardian describes it as “a drama about the mortality of love… an intricate and often brilliant drama, with restrained and intelligent performances; there is an elegantly patterned mosaic of detail, unexpected plot turns, suspenseful twists and revelations.”
Meanwhile, The Telegraph notes it is “a mesmerically assured piece of filmmaking, crammed with performances as raw as steak tartare.”
CLICK HERE for an interview with Farhadi for IndieWire.
CLICK HERE and ALSO HERE for recent coverage of Rahim on BNH.