Review of A Separation (2011) by Mepitts — 11 Mar 2012

I'm afraid that, based on the almost unqualified rave reviews, I went into this film with unrealistic expectations. On the positive side, it did provide an interesting window into contemporary Iranian life.

It did present some very challenging dilemmas and some interesting character studies. It was interesting to see how men and women navigated the problems in an ostensibly male-dominated culture. It did stimulate good conversation after it was over.

In it's positive qualities, it shared with The Descendants all of the things I've mentioned so far except the "male-dominated culture." On the negative side, it was a half-hour too long. None of the four main adult characters (the two couples) were easy to relate to and none of them demonstrated much growth as individuals across the length of the film.

I'd contrast it very much with The Descendants in which difficult problems were presented but there WAS clear character development--the characters in The Descendants evolved and grew. In The Descendants, both characters and plot developed.

In A Separation, IMHO, the plot develops but the characters do not. My advice having seen the film last evening? Discount the rave reviews about 40%. Ask yourself the question--do I like movies set in interesting places and presenting difficult dilemmas experienced by interesting characters who don't seem to learn or grow much from the events in the film? If the answer is yes, and clearly for many reviewers and users it was, go see the film.