‘The Things You Kill’ Director Alireza Khatami Dares Audiences to ‘Almost Leave’ His Exhilarating Canadian Oscar Entry

Alexandru Orian

"Still want to leave? I give them something to sit back [for]," said the Iranian filmmaker whose Turkey-shot, Sundance-winning revenge story builds on the formal boldness of Abbas Kiarostami and David Lynch. Comparisons to Abbas Kiarostami and David Lynch set a high bar for filmmaker Alireza Khatami , an Iranian who now lives in Canada, and his masterful “ The Things You Kill ” at Sundance. This unsettling thriller about impotent (emotionally, literally) university professor Ali (Turkish star