A Separation

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  • Opened December 30, 2011 
  • 2 hr 3 min
  • PG-13 | Mature Thematic Material

  • Parents: Common Sense Media says OK for kids 16+. More on child suitability

  • Simin (Leila Hatami) wants to leave Iran with her husband Nader (Peyman Moadi) and daughter Termeh (played by the director’s daughter Sarina Farhadi). When Nader refuses to leave behind his Alzheimer-suffering father, Simin sues for divorce. Her request having failed, Simin returns to her parents’ home, but Termeh decides to stay with her father. When Nader hires a religious young woman to assist with his father, he hopes his life will return to a normal state. However, when he discovers that the new maid has been lying to him and her own family, he realizes that there is much more on the line than his marriage.
    Note: In Farsi with English Subtitles. Full synopsis

  • Cast: Leila Hatami, Peyman Moaadi, Shahab Hosseini, Sareh Bayat, Sarina Farhadi
  • Director: Asghar Farhadi
  • Genres: Drama

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Critics say Must Go!
95 out of 100
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Fan Reviews

Must Go!
A++ But Tough to Watch

by William Kent

This movie deserved its Academy Award. Engrossing and emotionally honest, exceptional acting and production, but the emotions are so strong it is tough to watch. It is not popcorn entertainment,...

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It's all in the details

by kldavis

I read an interview with the movie's creator before I read a review or saw the movie.I'm glad I did. He emphasized how subtle messages must be to make it past the censors, which changed how I watched...

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A revelation

by williekiss

What a fabulous movie. So many aspects of life are touched on.The acting is superb and it's fascinating to see normal middle-class life in Iran. There are no good guys or bad guys and anything and...

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Critic Reviews

100
Wall Street Journal
| Joe Morgenstern

The members of the cast represent ensemble, naturalistic acting at its finest. Read full review

100
Boston Globe
| Wesley Morris

This is a trenchant emotional thriller that you watch in dread, awe, and amazing aggravation. It's entirely predicated upon the outcome of bad decisions - and it is not a comedy. The situation that unfolds approaches the absurdity of farce but denies the relief and release of humor. It's a tragic farce. No option or choice is to be envied. Read full review

100
San Francisco Chronicle
| Amy Biancolli

Moaadi is the standout here, subtly evoking filial worry and fatherly pride in one scene, popping off with rage in another: He's believably decent, believably flawed. A Separation touches on religious strictures and the role of women in Iran, but it does so with a light hand and not a twitch of condemnation. Read full review

100
USA Today
| Claudia Puig

Sophisticated and universal yet deeply intimate, A Separation is an exquisitely conceived family drama that has the coiled power of a top-notch thriller. Read full review

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Leila Hatami as Simin and Peyman Moaadi as Nader in "A Separation."