A Separation (2011)
Certified: PG
Duration: 123 minutes
Directed by: Asghar Farhadi
Starring: Leila Hatami, Peyman Moaadi, Shahab Hosseini, Sareh Bayat, Sarina Farhadi, Ali-Asghar Shahbazi, Shirin Yazdanbakhsh, Kimia Hosseini, Merila Zarei
KRS release
To say that A Separation is a movie about marital problems is as misleading as saying that The Lord of the Rings is just about a search for a lost ring. In doing so, one would be ignoring the various layers, textures and dimensions of this rich and powerful film that takes us deep into Iranian society – a realm that is so unexplored by the film medium.
A Separation became the first Iranian film to win an Oscar – it claimed the best foreign language category – and was also the first Iranian picture to win the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Simin (Leila Hatami) and Nader (Peyman Moaadi) are in front of a judge. Their marriage of 14 years is crumbling and yet the judge does not find justification for a separation. Simin ends up living with her parents, and their daughter Termeh (Sarina Farhadi) chooses to stay with her father.
The film brews with fervent passion and encapsulates a myriad of emotions
Nader has plenty on his plate, not the least of which is his father who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. He ends up hiring the very religious Razieh (Sareh Bayat) to help him out. She comes from a poor family and has a domineering husband (Shahab Hosseini); in fact, she hides her employment from him. Trouble arises when after a confrontation, Razieh ends up suffering a miscarriage, and Nader has to make a difficult decision.
The film brews with fervent passion and encapsulates a myriad of emotions. It’s as if the characters are in a constant struggle with the world that stirs them to and fro. The resulting confrontation is inevitable but this is translated on to the screen without any over-the-top acting.
A Separation shows how despite the different religions, cultures, borders, languages and situations, the human heart beats in the same manner all around the world. It also shows how much respect and honesty are prized values everywhere.
The film has a raw appeal to it that brings the audience very near to the proceedings and the characters on screen. This gives it an added sense of intimacy as you feel that you really get to know the characters.
It’s this sense of genuineness that makes this picture such a treasure trove. And the way it provides us with a perspective of the story to then jump to another viewpoint is valid and works like a charm.