
PopGap #01: A Separation (2012)
Written by dorrk | 17 January 2015 |
Movies of the 2010s: #7 of 20
It is with some chagrin that I admit that I don't think I've ever seen an Iranian movie before. I've heard about the celebrated director Abbas Kiarostami, but have yet to see one of his movies. I'm sure once we tackle some artier lists, more Iranian movies will come up, but, for now, my sole exposure to Iranian cinema is this month's A Separation (Jodaeiye Nader az Simin), from writer/director Asghar Farhadi, which is a pretty impressive gateway drug.
Simin, her husband Nader, and their teenage daughter Termeh have been granted Visas to leave Iran, but Nader doesn't want to leave his elderly father, who has Alzheimer's Disease. With their visas about to expire, Simin issues an ultimatum: we leave the country or we divorce. This sets off a chain of events that sound like pure farce and could be mistaken for the synopsis of a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode, but Farhadi's take is careful, intricate, serious, and lacerating, taking on Iranian social mores, gender roles, the legal system, religious hypocrisy, personal integrity, and the corruption of future generations. Those who know about these things also say it's full of relevant sociopolitical symbolism, but me dumb no know what is brain hurt now.
A Separation is a very big small film, with perfect direction, perfect acting, and a very rare generosity toward all of its characters, each of whom acts both as a protagonist and as an empathetic antagonist as the plot unfolds. I was hoping for a bigger emotional punch throughout, but instead, it delivers a delicate blow that is lasting and profound.
It looks like all of Farhadi's movies are extremely highly rated on IMDb, so now I have another handful of movies to add to my must-see list.
Trailer for A Separation (2012)
TL/DR
-
Movie:A Separation
-
Dir.:Asghar Farhadi
-
Rating:8/10
Tags
Related Articles
Latest Articles
-
Silver Screen Streak List #23: 04. Invention for Destruction (1958)
-
Silver Screen Streak List #23: 03. Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
-
Silver Screen Streak List #23: 02. Hellzapoppin' (1941)
-
Silver Screen Streak List #23: 01. The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (1962)
-
Silver Screen Streak List #23: The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film
-
Silver Screen Streak List #22: 05. The Hippopotamus (2017)
-
Silver Screen Streak List #22: 04. My Life as a Zucchini (2016)
-
Silver Screen Streak List #22: 03. Me and Orson Welles (2009)
-
Silver Screen Streak List #22: 02. Red Road (2006)
POPGAP Projects
-
Silver Screen Streak List #23: The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film
-
Silver Screen Streak List #22: The 28 best films of all time you've probably never seen
-
PopGap Diary: Octoblur 2022 is all Oct-Over now, Baby Blue
-
PopGap Diary: Octoblur 2022
-
Silver Screen Streak List #21: Dramas of the 1940s
-
Popgap Diary: 2021 in Review
-
Silver Screen Streak List #20: 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
-
PopGap Diary: Octoblur 2021 is in the cold, cold ground
-
PopGap Diary: Octoblur 2021
Popular Articles
-
PopGap Diary: Octoblur 2019
-
Introducing the Silver Screen Streak movie challenge
-
Octoblur 2017: Annual Horror-ish Movie Nightmare-a-thon
-
PopGap #08 Re-cap: Comedies Since 1970
-
Octoblur 2017: R.I.P.!
-
PopGap Diary: Octoblur 2020
-
Octoblur 2015 - It's Over!
-
PopGap #19: Movie Books Special Report
-
Popgap Diary: 2019 in Review