To those uninitiated into global cinema, it may come as a surprise that Iran consistently cranks out great art films. I’ve probably seen a dozen or so and now find myself constantly on the lookout for the latest cinematic offerings from Iran. I heard about A Separation before it was even nominated for the Academy Award because of a good friend of mine that’s Iranian. His family had told him to keep an eye out for it and knowing what a film buff I am he suggested it to me too. Needless to say, the film did not come to Birmingham in a theatrical release and after it won the Best Foreign Picture Oscar it was just a waiting game for when it would eventually come out on DVD. And what it wait it was. Well over a year after it’s release it finally made it to DVD in the US a few weeks ago.
A Separation, as you might guess from the title, is about a married couple parting ways. Samin’s spent countless time and a lot of money on visas to get the family to be able to live abroad. Nader’s father now has Alzheimer’s and he’s not budging. Sounds simple enough right? But they have a daughter that complicates matters. Simin wants the daughter to go abroad with her as they’re very close, so the daughter stays with her dad because she knows her mom won’t leave without her. Bold move for a kid, but she was correct. Samin did not travel abroad.
Nader must now find someone to care for his elderly father while he’s at work and the daughter is at school and he chooses a lower income woman who comes to work around the house with her small daughter. This is when the trouble arrives. The newly arrived help has a miscarriage shortly after she is fired (after 2 or 3 days when Nader discovered she was leaving his father at home unattended) and goes to the police to blame it on her former employer. That’s the setup for the incredible amount of problem it causes both families. The film explores the dynamics of both families and how they come together to deal with this unforeseen tragedy. Needless to say, it’s incredibly heavy, but it’s almost like a suspenseful thriller in that you have no idea how things are going to play out for everyone involved. The Oscars are generally a waste of time to me, but they often do a great job with Best Foreign Picture category and 2011 is no exception. This was definitely a film that deserved all of the lavish praise heaped upon it.
TRAILER:
Cinema of the World 