A Separation- Iranian Film

Saw another Iranian film. It was a part of some recent Film festival. My respect for these guys keeps growing every time I see one. This one is about an apparently simple divorce petition from a wife whose husband refuses to emigrate with her because of a father suffering from Alzheimer's that he wants to care for. But the story gets tangled in a web of court cases, when a maid he has hired accuses him of causing an abortion (she is pregnant) when he throws her out of the job for negligence (of his old dad). Her husband, an unemployed and hard-up guy, also gets in and gives it a class-conflict angle.

A lot of twists and turns follow, and the director skilfully presents all sides of the story, without a clear pinning down of the guilt. Everyone is guilty and innocent to some extent- they are all normal human beings caught up in their own dilemmas, beliefs and so on.

One thing that strikes you about the Irani directors is their effective use of close-ups, and minimal dialogue. The actors have to carry the film on their shoulders, and usually, they do.

Certainly one of my good films of 2012!