I agree that it uses the ‘taken from everyday life’ philosophy central to Rossellini’s ideas. However, I’m not sure that describing it as a neo-realist film is necessarily helpful (and I’m not sure that you are). I struggled with a feeling that it is actually much more calculated than neorealism in its early phase seemed to be. The film is written and the actors directed in such a careful way. There is nothing ‘loose’ or ‘open’ about the style. The ending is ‘open’ but designed to be so. I would certainly like to see it again and possibly take a more ‘distanced’ perspective on it. I’ve seen critics refer to Michael Haneke’s work as sharing some aspects of its approach. Based on the little I’ve seen of Haneke, I much prefer this Iranian approach.