A Separation (2011)

A married couple are faced with a difficult decision - to improve the life of their child by moving to another country or to stay in Iran and look after a deteriorating parent who has Alzheimer's disease.

Director:

Asghar Farhadi

Writer:

Asghar Farhadi

Stars:

Payman Maadi, Leila Hatami, Sareh Bayat

Top Rated Movies #110 | Won 1 Oscar. Another 83 wins & 45 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Payman Maadi	...	Nader (as Peyman Moadi)
Leila Hatami	...	Simin
Sareh Bayat	...	Razieh
Shahab Hosseini	...	Hojjat
Sarina Farhadi	...	Termeh
Merila Zare'i	...	Miss Ghahraii
Ali-Asghar Shahbazi	...	Nader's Father
Babak Karimi	...	Interrogator
Kimia Hosseini	...	Somayeh
Shirin Yazdanbakhsh	...	Simin's Mother
Sohibanoo Zolqadr	...	Azam (as Sahabanu Zolghadr)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mohammadhasan Asghari	...	Creditor
Shirin Azimiyannezhad	...	Woman in the Bus
Hamid Dadju	...	Creditor
Mohammad Ebrahimian	...	Judge

Storyline

Nader (Payman Maadi) and Simin (Leila Hatami) argue about living abroad. Simin prefers to live abroad to provide better opportunities for their only daughter, Termeh. However, Nader refuses to go because he thinks he must stay in Iran and take care of his father (Ali-Asghar Shahbazi), who suffers from Alzheimers. However, Simin is determined to get a divorce and leave the country with her daughter.

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Plot Keywords:

iran | divorce | alzheimer's disease | court | marital problem | 

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Taglines:

Lies may lead to truth.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Family | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material

Details

Official Sites:

Golem Distribución [Spain] Memento Films [France]

Country:

Iran France

Language:

Persian

Release Date:

16 March 2011 (Iran)

Also Known As:

A Separation

Filming Locations:

Tehran, Iran

Box Office

Budget:

$500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

IRR 1,023,080,000 (Iran), 18 March 2011

Opening Weekend USA:

$59,481, 1 January 2012, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$7,098,492

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$24,426,169

Company Credits

Production Co:

Asghar Farhadi Productions,Dreamlab Films,MPA APSA Academy Film Fund

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was praised by Meryl Streep and Brad Pitt.

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Goofs

When Simin and Hojjat's sister are talking to Hojjat, the fan behind Hojjat is on at first, but off and facing a different angle in subsequent scenes.

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Quotes

Hodjat: You know, my problem is that I can't speak like them. I just lose my control soon.

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Connections

Referenced in Matzav Ha'Uma: Episode #4.16 (2012)

User Reviews

thoughtful, brilliant film

This is the first Iranian film I've seen, and I'm recommending it to every-one I know. It is so well-crafted; the twists of the plot throw up new moral dilemmas for all the protagonists, which are explored sensitively and without judgement - so refreshingly unlike mainstream American films. I felt sympathy for all the characters, even the threatening Hodjat, full of misplaced rage which often erupts volcanically. And as a footnote, the film felt like an intimate view into a society that our news media portray as monochromatic and extremely foreign. (I am writing this a few days after the UK embassy in Tehran was ransacked)