A Separation is without a doubt the best social drama I've had the privilege of viewing. Masterclass in storytelling, honest, raw, and emotionally subtle. The film doesn't rely on melodramatic plot twists or flashy cinematography. Instead, it pulls you in quietly into an intensely human conflict, where every character is real, flawed, and achingly relatable ... it explores morality, justice, family, and pride in a way that lingers long after the credits roll. Direction is subtle yet powerful, and the performances are astonishingly authentic.

An absolute masterpiece. so many layers. at the end we should be the judge! but who are we to judge these people. They are all doing the right thing in their own way!

Brilliant story and absolutely amazing performances. A Separation is a great movie.

A snooze fest. Didn’t care about any of the characters. Too long by far. One has to be seriously in love with anything Iranian or be able to speak Farsi in order to enjoy this one. How this is getting such good reviews is a mystery to me.

Intense family drama examining an unusual couples situation for a country like Iran. Screenplay, direction, acting, storytelling: all first level.

"A Separation" reminded me about how gripping, thought-provoking, and chilling quiet dramatic films can be. This movie features story elements that are genuinely hard to watch, but the story is compelling and fascinating. Characters all make mistakes and feel human, and somehow everyone feels right and wrong in their own way at some point. It is a movie that throws the viewer into a sad situation and then shows the devastating aftermath of it. Overall, this is a tough movie to get through as it is often emotionally draining and features a lot of unfortunate moments, but it is riveting and compelling and genuinely kept me completely engaged while watching it.

An unforgettable drama that perfectly captures how messy life can turn even when you do your best to get it right. If the ongoing separation between the couple is the first source of issues for our characters, it develops into something more sad and complicated as each little choice on how to take care of the divorce has strong consequence. It's a hard-hitting movie as their problems are sad but also relatable. Between family, mental illness, money or trust, it's hard to not feel each character's (especially the father's) desperation and to not be able to make a clear decision on who is right and who is wrong. As an Iranian movie, it also gives you an overview on the Iranian culture through their justice system, the implication of the religion or the clothes which give a fresh point of view when we are used to Western movies.

This film does a lot of work unfolding a seemingly small case to devastating proportions. The relentlessness is thrilling and the complexity is beautifully structured.

Excellent Iranian movie—sober, realistic and very effective. How can a film about a couple getting divorced turn out to be so interesting? Just watch this movie and see!

Separation slowly picks at the pain of a couple splitting and the complexity of their daughter deciding who to live with. Religious beliefs, lies, alzheimers and more all play into the conflict (which isn't so extreme, but just handled well).

1001 movies to see before you die (Added 2012; Removed 2017). An Iranian moral dilemma film framed in family struggles and divorce. It was sad and painfully real; all within an Iranian cultural. Saw on Delta.

Asghar Farhadi's 2011 drama, A Separation, is an exercise in building empathy. The viewer is presented with various layers of conflict that separate people. Gender and class are divisive factors here. The film raises a series of moral problems. At various points the viewer might feel tempted to take sides, but as the facts fully emerge, it becomes clear that everyone has a good reason for their actions, no matter what mistakes they make. In the film's opening scene, we see a husband and wife facing a family court judge. They are sat together, yet hardly look at one another, reflecting their apartness. Simin (Leila Hatami) has filed for divorce from Nader (Peyman Moaadi), her husband of 14 years, and yet she says that he is a "nice, decent person". The breaking point is Nader's father (Ali-Asghar Shahbazi). Simin wishes to leave the country. Nader had previously agreed to this, but his father has Alzheimer's, and he wishes to care for him. "Does he know that you're his son?" asks Simin. "I know he is my father," Nader replies. She cannot get a divorce because her reasons are not considered good enough. Nader is not an addict; he does not beat her; he is not failing to provide for her. She cannot take Termeh with her if she leaves Iran. "Judge, I've come here for you to solve my problem," complains Simin. The judge responds, "I'm the judge and I'm saying that your issue is small." ader needs a carer to look after his father while he is at work. He accepts Razieh (Sareh Bayat), a pious woman who struggles with the job, partly due to her being pregnant. She often wraps herself in her headscarf as if to comfort or protect herself. Razieh is not sure whether it is a sin for her to change a man's clothes. At one point the old man wanders off on his own, and she has to dodge between traffic to reach him. Matters reach a crisis when Nader comes home early to find Razieh absent, and his father lying on the floor. There is evidence that Razieh has tied him to the bed. He roughly throws the protesting Razieh out of the house, and she falls over. Soon after he learns that she has lost her child. Why did Razieh tie up Nader's father and leave the house? Did Nader know that Razieh was pregnant? Was Razieh's miscarriage due to her treatment at the hands of Nader? Why does Simin not leave the country as she said she would? And why does Termeh choose to live with her father, and not her mother? Asghar Farhadi slowly reveals the information that will answer these questions with the skill of a mystery movie writer. In the process he establishes the first of many areas of separation in the film – the separation of truth from lies. A Separation shows us the importance of being truthful, but also the many good reasons why a number of characters choose to conceal the truth from others. To tell the truth may have disastrous consequences for some of the characters here. Yet it is only when we learn the truth that we can have full understanding and compassion for others. Nonetheless when the truth arrives, it is shattering – literally. We see broken glass, indicating that one person is unhappy with the outcome. The characters are often physically separated. They view each other through doorways and windows. Farhadi often places objects in front of the camera, even when this blurs the camera view. Termeh often views the action through a door or window. She is excluded from making any of the decisions concerning her parents until the end of the movie when she is finally empowered to make an important choice. Farhadi creates a naturalistic effect with the use of handheld cameras. The film has no music score during the action. Instead Farhadi trusts that the story is of enough interest for intelligent viewers to be appreciated for its own sake. A Separation is essentially a humanistic work. Religion may motivate the characters, but there is no overbearing piety. The film's appeal and its poignancy lies in seeing how its flawed but well-meaning characters seek to find the best outcome for themselves that their society allows. I wrote a longer appreciation of A Separation on my blog page if you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2023/10/01/a-separation-2011/

A movie to feel - A Separation The director of the Iranian film "The Divorce of Nader and Simin" Asghar Farhadi did not limit himself to the framework of a family drama The very first scene, and immediately a family conflict of such intensity, the author will be able to maintain the set pace for the entire two hours of the film. The film is thin, unusually psychologically authentic. And I am sure that in it, as in a mirror, anyone will see a reflection of a topic that is relevant to them. Asghar Farhadi shows us believers and truly religious people not as satirical fanatics, but as simple, but more responsible people. People who have additional moral barriers. Although, in fairness, Asghar does not give out ratings. It is no coincidence that almost every one of the characters in his film will not be able to come out unsullied from his personal test. Almost everyone lies or knows the bitterness of perjury.

Watching it multiple times will reveal its greatness more!

What a human life on the earth and what is family and marriage? Power of Iranian film which is not a center of global film industry.

The best international movie ever made! With the best movie screenplay ever written!

Set in Tehran, a young Iranian couple find themselves in front of a magistrate in order to facilitate a separation, not because of a lack of love or an infidelity, but due to a moral dilemma. She wants to take advantage of an expiring visa and have the family move out of Iran in order to give her daughter a better opportunity at life. He feels that he is unable to leave due to his obligation to take care of his elderly father who suffers from Alzheimer's, all of which leads to an unimaginable chain of events. Asghar Farhadi's A Separation is a film filled with characters who struggle to do what they believe is the right thing to protect their interests and their families. It is compelling throughout, filled with believable dialogue and scenarios, naturalistic acting, effective handheld camerawork, and an ending that will break even the hardest of hearts. There is nothing else out there quite like A Separation, arguably Farhadi's finest film.

Come sempre, Farhadi riproduce in maniera semplicemente perfetta uno spaccato della sua società; senza nessun tipo di difetti riesce a creare personaggi veri e completi; con pregi e difetti, ognuno diverso e ognuno totalmente credibile. Pur non conoscendo la cultura del paese, è impossibile con comprenderlo a pieno in tutte i suoi dettagli, i suoi pregi e i suoi difetti. Oltre a questo; Farhadi riesce come pochi a prendere una storia di vita ordinaria e a renderla sublime per gli innumerevoli dettagli che compongono il quadro fino a renderlo meraviglioso. Un regista pazzesco che col passare degli anni si è guadagnato il rispetto del mondo del cinema.

Feel that? That's the combination of moral grayness and empathy washing over you. The response that A Separation may give you certainly doesn't trend towards "warm and fuzzy", but even if it's uncomfortable there is no denying its power. I love tough films about human nature that deal with complex characters, they're the best; this 2011 Iranian film by Asghar Farhadi revels in its tough decisions, crafting a vitriolic and devastating (yet entirely plausible) modern-day conflict between people that each retain a bit of kindness and cruelty in themselves. Nobody in the film is explicitly evil, they are the culmination of their past experiences, present circumstances, and personal desires, the embodiment of the phrase "people are not against you, they are for themselves". Actions taken measure individual benefits against the risk of harm to others, or emerge out of simple, irrational emotion or personality flaws; take for example, Razieh (Sareh Bayat) facing limited time to take care of her daily tasks, and deciding to leave her senile patient alone and tied to a bed for some time. Nader (Moaadi), the patient's son, comes home and sees a cruel act and a broken promise, while Razieh thought of it as an unfortunate necessity as a result of her financially unstable household. Thus, every conflict is a battle of perspective and circumstance rather than objective right vs. wrong. From this potent foundation, Farhadi builds a sweeping story that expands from base human nature to a portrait of modern society in Iran, focusing on the state of social and religious influences as well as class conflict and disconnected government influences. Along the way we keep this claustrophobic, uncomfortable perspective that lets even small confrontations loom large, creating a consistently taut atmosphere that never lets you turn away. And yet, it doesn't feel like there is a moment wasted here, as the story builds organically and in a compelling manner. Despite any cultural divides, I was absolutely absorbed in the screenplay, the performances, and the outcome. And random note, this is the first film where I've seen someone with the title of 'Investor' in the opening credits. And that's every movie from every edition of the 1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die released to date! Going out on a high note. (5/5)

Having seen a fair fee Iranian films, it was time to explore the most critically acclaimed. It more than lived up to expectations. A twisting, turning drama but always realistic. Brilliant acting and a story that punches hard in multi faceted ways. So much going on but none of it rushed and all inter related. It's a bit of a cinematic masterpiece.