A Separation

It is so easy for us to close our minds to other cultures and religions, but when you see a movie like A Separation it reminds us how much we are alike. A Separation is set in the country of Iran where a husband and wife are sitting in front of a judge asking for a divorce. In this judicial system there are no lawyers or big fancy courtrooms, it is just a man and a women sitting in a small office before a judge. When the judge asks the wife Simin (Leila Hatami) why she wants a divorce, her reply is, “He won’t come with me.”

Simin is a modern day woman and although she wears the head scarf of her culture her other clothes are contemporary. She wants to move outside of Iran and she wants her daughter to have more opportunities. But her husband won’t leave because he is caring for his senile father. He won’t hold his wife, but he won’t let his daughter go. For Simin this is a problem.

The judge is not sympathetic to the woman’s plight. In his opinion she should just go home. And he is offended by her unpatriotic views that Iran is not a place of opportunity. But Simin is resolute. She must leave, she has to leave and her exit visa expires in 40 days. Unable to get the judge to see her side she decides to leave her husband anyway. He is now charged with caring for his father by himself. Since he can’t leave his father alone while he works and his daughter is at school he hires a woman to work in the home. But Razieh (Sareh Bayat) is untrained and unskilled to care for a man with Alzheimer’s disease. Things do not go well and Nader (Peyman Maadi) and Razieh have a big fight.

The next thing we know is that Razieh is in the hospital and Nadar is being charged with murder. Razieh had a miscarriage and Nadar is being given the blame. We are now back in front of the judge where he must sort through all the he said, she saids, looking for the truth. Blame is thrown everywhere and tempers are running high. A Separation is a fascinating family drama.

In addition to the cultural differences A Separation is intriguing due to its portrayal of the justice system. I was engrossed as each individual tried to find a just and fair solution while still seeking out validation and acknowledgment. Yes, both men were being stubborn, the case also involved Razieh’s husband, but both men were also right. Everyone was acting and reacting on the information on hand. But the truth was not always being told. As the court failed to act in a swift manner the people took their problem to the elders, the families. This is an old judicial system going back for millennium. I found the legal aspects of this film as fascinating as the family drama.

Peyman Maadi gives a wonderful performance as a father who goes through all the emotions from gentle tenderness and care to righteous indignation and rage. I especially enjoyed the scenes in which he displayed a fatherly pride in his daughter played by Sarina Farhadi. Sarina Farhadi is also outstanding as the only child trapped between two loving but bickering parents. Her situation will break your heart and Sarina shows a maturity well beyond her years. A Separation has come to our country full of accolades from all over the world. I encourage you to see this film, if only to learn about a culture not our own.

Rating: First Run An outstanding family drama