The Iranian film, A Separation (2011), is as splendid as all the critics have said it is.  It is skillfully directed and shrewdly, fascinatingly written by one man:  Asghar Farhadi.  The drama–all about a shattering conflict involving two families–is full-steam-ahead and tragic, but not despairing.

One of the movie’s themes is the human inclination to use lies for protection, for a refuge.  By no means does Farhadi condone lying, but he shows us circumstances in which people either lie or they are doomed.  Another theme is that which the title points to:  separation between family members, between husbands and wives, and what is wrought by this.

Not surprisingly, the Oscar for Best Foreign Film of 2011 went to A Separation.  How come American filmmakers failed to produce anything even approximating this work?

Nader and Simin, A Separation

Image via Wikipedia

(In Persian with English subtitles)