Separation, A

Iran 2011, 123 minutes
Dir. Asghar Farhadi
In Persian with English subtitles
Rating: [PG] contains low level offensive language
Genres: Foreign Cinema, Drama / Courtroom

Feat. Peyman Moaadi, Leila Hatami, Sareh Bayat, Shahab Hosseini, Sarina Farhadi

“With great power and subtlety, Farhadi transforms this ugly quarrel into a contemporary tragedy.”~Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

Aroview: Winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, this masterfully layered domestic drama sees the wheels of justice turn slowly against a middle-class father and husband in contemporary Iran.

In exploring secular 'integrity' challenged by theocratic principles, this is a drama drawn from the specifics of Islamic society and yet its moral and legal conundrums have universal application. Extending sympathy to all of its characters circumstances (whether they be obligated to family, the law or the divine) this is a deeply humanistic film that is also a deftly coded critique of Iran's systemic dysfunction.

NZ International Film Festival 2011