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Plot Summary

The Salesman (2017) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language
2017 · 124 min
JustWatch #7,414 18
Directed by
Asghar Farhadi

A traveling salesman and his wife, who are performing Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" in Tehran, find their lives disrupted when they are caught up in a disturbing incident. The husband grapples with a moral dilemma, torn between seeking retribution and confronting the complexities of forgiveness. As he struggles with his emotions, the lines between the play he performs and his own reality begin to blur, leading him down a path of emotional turmoil and potential danger.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 What happens: full plot
  3. 3 Plot questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like The Salesman
  6. 6 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch The Salesman (2017)

Where can you watch The Salesman? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon MX Player and Amazon Prime Video Free: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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Full plot summary · contains spoilers

What Happens in The Salesman: Full Plot Summary

The whole story of The Salesman (2017) explained, from the opening scene to the final frame: every key event, every twist and what it all adds up to. Read it as a quick recap before the sequel, to check a scene you missed, or to finally understand what really happened.

Emad and Rana are a married couple who work in the theatre, and their lives revolve around performances, rehearsals, and teaching. In a production of Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, Emad takes on the role of Willy Loman while Rana embodies Linda, giving their days a shared artistic rhythm. Outside the stage, Emad is a well-liked instructor at a local school, where some youths tease him as a “salesman,” a nickname that lingers in the background of their everyday lives.

One night, their apartment suddenly begins to cave in, and they flee with the other residents, shaken but unharmed. To secure a new home, their fellow actor Babak helps them move into a recently vacated apartment, where the previous tenant left behind many belongings in a hurried exit. The couple clears the space by placing the former owner’s things outside, trying to make sense of the sudden upheaval.

The calm is shattered when Rana is alone at home, preparing to bathe, and Emad returns to find her missing and the bathroom smeared with blood. Rushed to the hospital, the couple learns that Rana was assaulted by an intruder who had been let in through the intercom, mistaken for Emad upon his return. Neighbours clue Emad in that the former tenant was a prostitute who had conflicts with her clients, adding another layer of danger to the events.

Rana returns home bearing the psychological scars of the attack. She is overwhelmed by trauma, reluctant to go to the police, and refuses to bathe or re-enter the bathroom. During a performance, she breaks down in tears and exits the stage. Although Rana cannot recall the attacker’s face, Emad discovers the culprit’s car keys left behind, matching a pickup parked outside. The intruder also left a mobile phone and money that Rana had used for groceries, believing Emad had left it for her. As the investigation unfolds, Emad grows increasingly suspicious of Babak, resenting the secrecy that shrouded the former tenant’s fate.

The plot thickens as Emad turns to one of his students—whose father once worked for the police—for help. He learns the truck’s owner can be traced to a man named Majid. Pretending to need a mover, Emad lures Majid to their old, now-empty apartment, only to have Majid’s prospective father-in-law show up instead. It becomes clearer with time that the older man is the intruder, although he denies attacking Rana, hinting that he may have merely startled her. In a moment of tension, Emad calls the old man’s family to the apartment and locks him in a small room, intending to reveal his true character to everyone present. When he opens the door, the old man appears to have heart trouble, and Emad rushes to Rana in a panic. Rana, aware of Emad’s plan for revenge, warns that their relationship may end if he pursues it.

As the family arrives, they believe they are responding to a medical emergency and thank Emad for saving Rana’s life. Before they depart, Emad insists on settling his score with the old man in private, returning the money he had left behind after Rana’s assault. Unseen by the departing relatives, Emad slaps the old man, who collapses as the family leaves and an ambulance is summoned. The couple then returns to the theatre together, their shared life continuing to hinge on the unsettled lines between performance, truth, and vengeance.

Last updated: October 09, 2025 at 16:25

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Plot questions answered

The Salesman Plot Explained: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask most about The Salesman (2017): what happens in the confusing scenes, why the characters do what they do, the twists, hidden details and what the ending means. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Why was Rana attacked in The Salesman?

Rana was attacked because the previous tenant of the apartment was a prostitute who had conflicts with her clients. The attacker was Majid's father-in-law, who had been a client of the prostitute and may have come to the apartment looking for her, mistaking Rana for the former tenant when she opened the door.

Foreshadowing: The neighbours mention that the former tenant had 'conflicts with her clients' before the attack occurs.

  • rana attack
  • prostitute tenant
  • intruder
  • majid father-in-law
Q2

How did the intruder enter the apartment?

The intruder was let in through the intercom. When Emad returned home, someone buzzed the intruder in, who then waited for an opportunity to enter the apartment while Rana was bathing, believing the person entering was her husband.

  • intercom
  • break-in
  • apartment entry
  • intruder
Q3

Who attacked Rana?

The attacker was Majid's prospective father-in-law, an older man who had been a client of the former prostitute tenant. While he denies actually attacking Rana, he admits to being at the apartment, suggesting he may have only startled her rather than physically assaulting her.

  • majid
  • attacker
  • father-in-law
  • old man
Q4

Why does Emad suspect Babak?

Emad suspects Babak because he helped secure the apartment for them but kept secrets about the previous tenant's identity as a prostitute and her dangerous clients. Emad resents that Babak's secrecy put them in harm's way by not warning them about the risks associated with the previous tenant.

  • babak
  • suspicion
  • blame
  • former tenant
Q5

Why does Rana refuse to go to the police after the attack?

Rana refuses to involve the police because she is deeply traumatized by the assault. She cannot recall the attacker's face, feels violated and ashamed, and refuses to bathe or even enter the bathroom. Her trauma manifests during a performance when she breaks down in tears and leaves the stage.

  • rana trauma
  • police
  • refusal
  • bathroom
  • assault
Q6

How does Death of a Salesman connect to the story?

The play serves as a thematic parallel to Emad's life, he plays Willy Loman, a failing salesman struggling with identity and emasculation. The title 'The Salesman' mirrors how students tease Emad as a 'salesman,' and his journey of seeking vengeance after his wife is violated echoes Willy's own struggles with honor, failure, and retaliation.

  • death of a salesm Willy loman
  • arthur miller
  • parallel
  • thematic
Q7

What happens during Emad's confrontation with the old man?

Emad lures the old man to their old apartment by pretending to need a mover. He locks the old man in a small room and calls his family, intending to expose his character. When the family arrives thinking it's a medical emergency, Emad privately returns the money the old man left after the assault, then slaps him. The old man collapses and an ambulance is called.

Foreshadowing: Emad's earlier line calling Charley a 'degenerate' hints at his growing desire for violent retribution.

  • confrontation
  • revenge
  • slap
  • old man
  • ambulance
Q8

Why does Rana warn Emad that revenge could end their marriage?

Rana warns Emad that pursuing revenge could destroy their marriage because she fears his quest for vengeance will consume him and change who he is. She wants to move forward and heal, not be defined by the attack. Her warning reflects the story's theme that vengeance corrupts rather than resolves.

  • rana warning
  • marriage
  • revenge
  • relationship
  • betrayal
Q9

Why is the apartment collapse important to the plot?

The apartment collapse forces Emad and Rana to move into the new apartment where the attack occurs. This relocation is crucial because it places them in a space connected to the former prostitute tenant, directly leading to the assault. The collapse sets the entire tragedy in motion.

Foreshadowing: The couple 'places the former owner's belongings outside, trying to make the space usable', this act of clearing the space connects them to the previous tenant's life.

  • apartment collapse
  • relocation
  • moving
  • new apartment
Q10

How does Emad trace the attacker?

Emad turns to a student whose father once worked for the police. Using this connection, he traces the truck found at the scene to a man named Majid. He then lures Majid to their old apartment by pretending to need a mover, though Majid's prospective father-in-law arrives instead.

  • student
  • police
  • truck
  • majid
  • tracing
Q11

Why does Emad return the money to the old man?

Emad returns the money the old man left behind after Rana's assault as part of his 'settlement', he wants to take something from the old man before exacting his revenge. The money represents the old man's attempted compensation, which Emad uses as a symbolic gesture before delivering his act of vengeance.

  • money
  • return
  • compensation
  • settling score
Q12

What happens at the end of The Salesman?

After Emad slaps the old man and he collapses, an ambulance is summoned. The family leaves believing there was a medical emergency. Emad and Rana then return to the theatre together, continuing to perform Death of a Salesman. The ending is bittersweet, the immediate conflict is resolved, but their relationship remains strained and uncertain.

  • ending
  • theatre
  • performance
  • bittersweet
  • resume

Movie threads

More Movies Like The Salesman, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes The Salesman tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies with urban moral conflicts like The Salesman

Stories where city life amplifies the pressure of a difficult ethical choice. If you liked the ethical tension and urban alienation in The Salesman, explore these other movies. This list features films where characters in city settings face intense moral dilemmas that test their principles and strain their relationships, creating a similar vibe of psychological strain.

  • anxious
  • brooding
  • claustrophobic
  • unsettling
  • psychological
  • melancholic
  • Tone: tense, unsettling, melancholic
  • Pacing: steady, methodical
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Narratives in this thread typically begin with a triggering incident that forces a character to confront a profound ethical question, often involving revenge versus forgiveness. The plot unfolds as a steady, character-driven exploration of the consequences, with the city environment reflecting the character's growing sense of entrapment and psychological turmoil.

Why they belong together: These movies are grouped together because they share a focus on heavy, internal conflict set against the backdrop of modern urban life. They feature a steady pacing that allows for deep psychological exploration, a tense tone, and an emotionally heavy weight, resulting in a similarly unsettling and thought-provoking experience.

Movies where art mirrors life like The Salesman

When a performance on stage begins to eerily mirror a character's real-life crisis. Fans of The Salesman's clever use of 'Death of a Salesman' to parallel the main drama will enjoy these films. Discover similar movies where a staged performance or work of art eerily reflects the characters' real-world struggles, blurring the lines between fiction and reality.

  • psychological
  • unsettling
  • meta
  • brooding
  • anxious
  • theatrical
  • Tone: psychological, meta-textual, tense
  • Pacing: steady, deliberate
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves a character who is an artist or performer. A crisis in their personal life begins to thematically rhyme with the artwork they are creating or performing. This parallel structure is used to highlight internal conflict, foreshadow events, and create a rich layer of subtext about identity and performance.

Why they belong together: These films are connected by their central device of using a 'story within a story' to comment on the main plot. They share a moderate complexity due to this layered narrative, a psychological focus, and a tone that ranges from tense to melancholic, as the boundary between the fictional and the real becomes dangerously thin.

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Movies Like The Salesman

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Every angle

The Salesman (2017) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about The Salesman in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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