Review of A Separation (2011) by Patrick M — 29 Jan 2013

...really enjoyed this...a well structured film about the break up of a marriage as well as a fascinating in-sight into life in modern day Iran. Simin (Leila Hatami) wants to leave Iran and take her family with her, but her husband Nader (Peyman Moadi) is refusing to go due to the ailing health of his father.

Their daughter, Termeh, brilliantly played by Sarina Farhadi, is caught in the middle, but chooses to stay with her father. Simin, her desire to leave Iran having failed, moves in with her mother. The initial story is revolves around the employment of Razieh (Sareh Bayat) as a helper to look after the father, but struggles to fulfill the role due to the commute as well as religious issues.

Razieh's husband agrees to help but then fails to assist, leaving Razieh to cope by herself. As the problems mount, Nader finds himself involved in a legal battle following an altercation. The film remained interesting throughout as the religious and moral issues both dictated and clouded the views of all parties involved, and Nader battles on several fronts to avoid prison but retain trust of his daughter.

Good acting throughout combined with the unique and fascinating story line combine to produce an excellent World Cinema offering.