Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Intense but rewarding Iranian drama has complex characters.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
What's the Story?
In an Iranian court of law, husband Nader (Peyman Moaadi) and wife Simin (Leila Hatami) confront each other. She wants to leave the country to find a better life for their 11-year-old daughter (Sarina Farhadi). He wants to stay, mainly to look after his aged, senile father. Too stubborn to agree, they separate. Nader must hire someone to look after the old man while he's at work; he finds Razieh (Sareh Bayat), whose husband, Hodjat (Shahab Hosseini), is desperately in debt. Nader comes home one day to find his father on the floor and Razieh nowhere in sight. She turns up, making vague excuses. Enraged, he pushes her out. It comes out that she has now had a miscarriage. Thus begins a complicated mystery of who knew what, and when.
Is It Any Good?
At its core, A Separation is basically a standard potboiler -- it could have been ripped from the pages of a dime store novel. What counts is that talented writer/director Asghar Farhadi structures it in a culturally compelling and mysterious way, while balancing all the characters to avoid easily typed "good guys" and "bad guys." There are no winners or losers in this battle -- even Razieh's angry and frustrated husband comes across as wholly human.
Additionally, Farhadi carefully weaves timely social and spiritual issues into the film's fabric, such as Iran's complicated divorce system (as well as the complexities of marriage itself) and the limitations of religion: In one scene, Razieh must bathe the old man but feels she can't due to her beliefs. Most of all, Farhadi lets the audience decide. The opening scene is filmed from the judge's point of view, and the final scene leaves off just before a vital decision. (It's worth noting that all of this was done, miraculously, within Iran's strict censorship rules.)
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the movie's arguments and intense situations. Do they fit with the movie's story? What purpose do they serve?
Movie Details
- In theaters : December 30, 2011
- On DVD or streaming : August 21, 2012
- Cast : Leila Hatami , Peyman Maadi , Sareh Bayat
- Director : Asghar Farhadi
- Studio : Sony Pictures Classics
- Genre : Drama
- Run time : 123 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : mature thematic material
- Last updated : July 3, 2022
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