Review of A Separation (2011) by Gimmedatsammich — 03 Oct 2012

I appreciate the candid view of life in the Middle East. Americans are not often treated to such subtle portrayals of the region- in fact, this is the first Iranian film I (and probably many others) have ever seen.

For that, I am glad to have seen A Separation. Accurate representations of other cultures are always fascinating. And yet, I did not enjoy this movie. Almost everything about it- the acting, the direction, the editing, the dialogue- was superb.

Technically, it is a masterpiece; a tightly wound, densely layered film made with a degree of finesse rivaling the best efforts of Hollywood's elite. And for all that, it fails, as do most films of the cinema verite style of filmmaking, for one simple reason: nothing good happens.

It starts bad and goes downhill from there. There is nary a single ray of hope, optimism, or humor to lighten the relentlessly grim, depressing atmosphere that pervades A Separation from beginning to end.

By the halfway point, it is apparent the film has been written in such a way so as to prevent a happy ending. The characters have gotten themselves so entrenched in their problems that redemption is out of the question.

I am of the belief that the "life sucks" attitude so common in modern filmmaking is merely an excuse for lazy storytelling. It is easy to make things hard on your characters. It is even easier to make them harder.

To resolve these issues in a believable and compelling manner- and to avoid sentimentality and predictability in the process- is a real challenge, and one that that many filmmakers, unfortunately, choose to avoid altogether.

The consequence of this artistic lethargy is a hopeless, unresolved feeling in the viewer's gut that persists for hours, days even, after the credits roll. That is not why I- and many, many others- go to the movies.

If I want to feel like crap, I'll read the news, thank you very much.