Somehow, Haghighi translates this ingenious bit of fantasy into a work of social realism. The premise may be incredible but the way it plays out is not.

What... renders it an exemplary work of modern cinema isn’t just the way that it achieves large-scale effects through the patient accumulation of small details—it’s also the sense of cinematic subjectivity with which these details are realized.

The doppelganger premise of the film grants Haghighi space to explore the depths of his thematic interest in identity, gender and violence in contemporary Iran, rendering Subtraction a powerful and intelligent exercise in genre play.

I’m delighted I watched Subtraction. This film had me guessing at every turn! I couldn’t predict what the characters would do and what the consequences of those actions would be. It was a bonkers — and sometimes horrifying — ride and I was entranced.