Review

Review Date: 5-February-12
Spoiler Rating: Medium
Juju Judgment: Juicy

A Separation (2011)

The Iranian drama A Separation begins with a faceless official dismissing a divorce petition by telling the husband Nader (Peyman Moadi) and wife Simin (Leila Hatami) to resolve their petty problems on their own. The main problem is that she wants to emigrate, the better to raise their 11-year-old daughter, while he wants to remain in Tehran, the better to care for his senile father. One might expect to see the couple work out their issues or fight for custody à la Kramer vs. Kramer, but writer/director har Farhadi has something different in mind. A Separation has the sting and sophistication of a short story attuned to the darker truths of life.

Simin moves out of the couple's comfortable middle-class flat, leaving behindher daughter (Sarina Farhadi) by the girl's own choice. Nader (whom Moadi plays to perfection) accepts the role of single parent without complaint, hiring Razieh (Sareh Bayat) to watch his father and perform light housekeeping while he is at work. As with most employer-maid situations, there is a significant rift between Nader and Razieh which in this culture ties to religion and gender as well as economic status. Razieh is very devout, and this complicates matters when the job and her personal problems become more than she can handle. Tension builds during her visits to the flat until she makes a poor decision and Nader angrily kicks her out. This incident mushrooms into a full-fledged scandal, drawing in Simin, the police, and Razieh's unstable husband (Shahab Hosseini) and actually putting lives at risk.

To call what happens a train wreck would be overstatement, but a viewer does experience repeated cringing as the characters aggravate the crisis with their stubbornness. The worst moment comes when Nader, who initially seemed like a great dad, puts his daughter in a situation where she has little choice but to lie. This points to the movie's bitter heart. As the adults muck around in their disputes and convictions, their every move is noted by sharp-eyed daughters (including Razieh's little shadow). And where adults should be the ones to end conflict, Nader and Simin force their child to do it for them. The final scene mirrors the opener, with a faceless official announcing that the resolution to their separation will be their daughter's choice of parent. One leaves the film wondering how faith or justice or affection or honor can exert any positive force in a world where grown-ups do not accept responsibility.

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