A Separation (2011) - Reviewed and Analyzed

A Separation is an Iranian movie about two families in conflict. This sentence, however, is barely enough to cover the complex emotions and relationships contained in the story. The movie begins with Nadir and Simin at a divorce office. An intriguing dialogue is exchanged and the viewer knows this is not an ordinary divorce - Simin wants to leave the country immediately for a better environment for their daughter, Termeh, and Nadir disagrees because he has a sick father to care for. Then we see Simin moving out while Termeh stays with Nadir, despite the fact that her mother asks her to come with her while her father doesn't really. Since Nadir works during the day, he now needs someone to look after his father who has Alzheimer's and hires a woman, Razieh. She seems to be a nice, diligent woman and Nadir trusts her - until he discovers she wasn't entirely as he thought. And thus the story unfolds to involve more people and the conflict becomes more heated.

If one were to glance over the synopsis without having watched the movie (which, by the way, no one should ever do), it could seem kind of boring. The characters would seem so normal - and in an era where almost every main character is either extremely rich and smart, or proficient in every martial art and weapon - Nadir and Simin are so ordinary. However, when examined more closely, all the characters are extremely unique and their relationships with each other are different. An important theme in A Separation is value systems. What makes every character interesting is their slightly differing value systems, and that is the cause of every conflict. However, another intriguing factor that plays a discreet but important role is religion, which unifies them all. To see these two themes interact through the characters is another definition of nerve-racking.

Analysis [Spoilers Ahead]

I've mentioned the importance of value systems and the slight nuances with each character's, and this shows from the opening scene. You can tell that they both don't really want to get a divorce - all they want from each other is for the other to listen to them. Simin thinks it's very important that her daughter gets a quality education abroad, while Nadir, although he obviously cares about his daughter's future, also loves his father and cannot leave him. One of my favorite quotes from this movie comes from this scene, in which Simin says, "he doesn't even know you are his son," and Nadir replies, "But I know he's my father." They are both very selfless (in different ways), which makes them likable, one of the most important aspects of a character. One extra note, a strong, interesting dialogue is one of the best opening scenes.

Value systems continue to play out in the other characters as well. Razieh, the caregiver, feels dubious about cleaning an old man when he's wet himself. Although it seems obvious to most viewers, her high standards of morality and adherence to religion makes her respectable. This drives her to tell Simin not to give them the money, and most importantly, makes her unable to swear on the Koran even though it is logically the best choice for her and her family.

Her husband Hojjat, a man with anger management issues, is perhaps the most memorable character. He is extremely angry throughout the entire run time and sometimes gets on your nerves. He continuously interrupts and becomes irrational, making false accusations at innocent people. But if we think about his many scars - he went through an unfair trial at his workplace and lost, became unemployed, and now his unborn baby is dead - suddenly, his actions seem understandable. In fact, I was surprised he was able to contain his emotions that well. Thus the four main characters show distinct value systems, which justifies their actions leading to constant moral ambiguity. This connects the viewer emotionally to all of them, and makes it hard to side with or dislike any of them. What is so exceptional about this movie is that there is no antagonist, no clear good-and-bad, no one clearly to root for. But it still creates a compelling, suspenseful picture, which is something most filmmakers cannot do without an evident moral system.

Aside from the main characters, the children's interactions were curious indeed. When the families were in good terms, they played together and got along; but when conflict arose, they quietly stared at each other at a distance. Also, Termeh's choice to stay with her father at the beginning was later explained as her wish that her parents would reunite, because she knew that if she went with her mother, her father wouldn't come back for them. On the other hand she knew her mother would return. This proves that Termeh is a complex character on her own, which is hard to see these days. In many movies the children act as no more than 'props' in the story used to invoke a spirit of family and make the main characters, the parents, more relatable.

The more inconspicuous theme of the movie is religion. Despite being very different, all the characters are brought under the same roof of Islam. Its influence is most evident with Razieh, the most religious of them all. Every action she does is guided by her will to abide by the Koran and refrain from sinning. You may think Hojjat is the least 'religious', with his violent actions and desire for revenge. But did he really want revenge? Had he really wanted revenge he could have gotten it any time by harming any one of Nadir's family members. But he didn't - in fact, the worst thing he did was smash a car window. It was his religion that kept his emotions in check. Imagine if the same story happened to two families living in the West. The anger would have gotten out of control and exploded in a really ugly way. Now, I'm not making a judgement on Western society - I'm just saying that that is probably how the story would unfold. Prisoners is an example, and in the even a Korean movie, I Saw the Devil, proves my point. This is what makes A Separation even more outstanding. The interaction between all the characters is almost unseen in any other movie, simply because of the difference in religious culture.

A further note concerning religion is the expectations to this movie. Before viewing, I expected a movie dealing with the sociopolitical issues of Iran and the stereotypes/myths surrounding the Middle East. However, when it turned out to be a drama about two families that says nothing on political matters, I was pleasantly surprised. After viewing, I realized the importance of this fact. It is almost expected of a movie set in The Middle East to be about social unrest (Argo) or U.S. involvement (The Hurt Locker, American Sniper). A Separation reminds everyone that this area is, in fact, just like any other place on Earth. There is love and friction within a family, grief over a lost child, and moral choices to be made. To be honest, this society might be better than those elsewhere exactly due to the reason mentioned above - the unifying religion and the level of social conscience that ensues. Whether the makers intentionally did so or not, A Separation is an accurate look at Iran that reminds us of the universality of human nature.

About the ending. The end scene returns to the issue that started it all - Nadir and Simin's divorce. They decided to get a divorce and anxiously wait for Termeh to make a choice - who will she live with - and the viewer doesn't know because the movie ends. To be honest, I would have preferred if they didn't return to the issue of their divorce. It was a good beginning to the whole story but it wasn't the main topic, and returning to it leaves the viewer thinking that divorce was ultimately the focus. However, it was the director's choice and doesn't detract anything from the film. Concerning Termeh's choice, I thought it was a good way to end the movie considering they brought back the divorce. Her choice is not really important - but what it does is make the viewer think about the movie, which I though was smart.

The directing was great. The acting felt so real. The script and social implications - I've talked about that enough. It has a well deserved Best Foreign Language Film of 2012. 

9.5/10