'A Separation' (11)

'A Separation' (PG-13) (11) (4 STARS) (Highest Rating)

Written and Directed by Asghar Farhadi
Starring: Peyman Moadi, Leila Hatami, Sareh Bayat, Shahab Hoseini, Sarina Farhadi

Sometimes we forget that other cultures, other religions and other countries go through the same things as our county when dealing with the dissolution of a marriage. "A Separation" is a movie from Iran and it is one of the best movies I have ever seen dealing with a fractured marriage. All the characters are people we can identify with and there are no bad guys here just misunderstandings and deceit based on misscommunication. This is such a rich movie because it is not just about a marriage but it deals with children, the convoluted court system in Iran and morals.

This is an extremely intense movie and there is a lot of dialogue but I couldn't keep my eyes off the screen at any moment. You will not catch your breath because of the drama that is presented in a brisk and dramatic pace. Nader and Simin are a married couple that are drifting apart and they decide to get a divorce. They try to end the marriage in court but it won't allow them to get a divorce. They then decide to have a trial separation and it affects their 11 year old daughter Termeh. Nader has a father with Alzheimers that he has to take care of and Simin is tired of taking care of him. She wants to leave Iran and as she tries to leave Nader hires a woman to take care of his father as a caretaker.

This new caretaker makes a huge mistake and neglects the father for a hour or so. Nader comes back home enraged and tries to push her out the door and what happens next we will not see. The caretaker Hodjat claims she fell down a flight of stairs and now has had a miscarriage because of the fall. Nader claims he did not know she was pregnant and just wanted her out of his house. Hodjat's husband did not know of Hodjat's new job so when he is confronted with this shocking news he becomes enraged. They take the case to a court in Iran as Hodjat's husband Razieh presses charges and Nader might be charged for murder and go to prison.

I really wanted to refrain from spilling out too many details of the plot but I feel it is neccesary. This movie has a lot of levels and it doesn't label anyone good or bad. All the characters have legitimate reasons to be angry and no one person is absolutely correct. All we know is that the daughter Termeh is the one that gets the brunt of all this confusion. Slyly we see her heart breaking and in a final scene we are brought to tears in one of the most perfect endings of a movie I have seen.

People might be frustrated by the ending and not understand why some of the characters do what they do. Please do not skip this because you don't want to visit another culture that is supposed to be our enemy. We as Americans and Iranians go through the same emotions and frustrations in our lives and this movie is very engrossing and powerful. The emotions are similiar and I learned a lot about the court system in Iran. There are many frustrating things about it when pertaining to this story but of course America's court system has the same problems. Justice, I find justice is just as skewered and imperfect in America as it is in Iran.

"A Separation" also has wonderful performances and Peyman Moadi as Nader is incredible, subtle and effective. This is a performance that could have easily been nominated for an Oscar as did Damien Bechir for "A Better Life". It is a complex role and Moadi strikes all the right notes. Also Sarina Farhadi as Termeh is great and she is very good at showing her heart breaking in a natural way. The movie is brilliantly written and tautly directed by Asghar Farhadi. I would love to see his next movie and movie goers who don't frequent Iranian movies and see this will want to check out more movies from this country. "A Separation" deserves it's Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination and should have been the 10th movie nominated for Best Picture. It is one of the most powerful and engrossing movies of 2011.