A Separation (2011)
It is always exciting to see a foreign language film break into other categories at the Oscars considering how rare it is despite normally multiple foreign films deserving nominations outside of Best International Film (at this time called Best Foreign Language Film) and after a 5-year drought in the category A Separation got nominated for Best Original Screenplay. I was super interested to check this movie out finally to see what it was able to achieve for a nomination like this. Nader (Peyman Moaadi) is a man living with his elderly father (Ali-Asghar Shahbazi) and daughter Termeh (Sarina Farhadi) after his wife Simin (Leila Hatami) files for divorce after Nader refused to let them move out of the country to provide better a future for their daughter. To help take care of his father and house while he is gone at work Nader hires a young woman named Razieh (Sareh Bayat). The work quickly becomes overwhelming for Razieh who has to take a long commute often with her daughter to their house and faces both logistical and religious turmoil while having to take care of the father. One day she is forced to leave early and decides to tie his father to his bed to make sure he doesn't wander off which leaves Nader furious. He also accuses Razieh of stealing money and after a heated argument pushed Razieh out of the door. That night Razieh ends up in the hospital having suffered a miscarriage and blames Nader who ends up being accused of manslaughter for killing the baby due to pushing her out of the door and apparently down the stairs. They go back and forth as secrets are revealed and both sides face-off on if Nader could really be held accountable for what happens.It is always exciting to see a foreign language film break into other categories at the Oscars considering how rare it is despite normally multiple foreign films deserving nominations outside of Best International Film (at this time called Best Foreign Language Film) and after a 5-year drought in the category A Separation got nominated for Best Original Screenplay. I was super interested to check this movie out finally to see what it was able to achieve for a nomination like this. Nader (Peyman Moaadi) is a man living with his elderly father (Ali-Asghar Shahbazi) and daughter Termeh (Sarina Farhadi) after his wife Simin (Leila Hatami) files for divorce after Nader refused to let them move out of the country to provide better a future for their daughter. To help take care of his father and house while he is gone at work Nader hires a young woman named Razieh (Sareh Bayat). The work quickly becomes overwhelming for Razieh who has to take a long commute often with her daughter to their house and faces both logistical and religious turmoil while having to take care of the father. One day she is forced to leave early and decides to tie his father to his bed to make sure he doesn't wander off which leaves Nader furious. He also accuses Razieh of stealing money and after a heated argument pushed Razieh out of the door. That night Razieh ends up in the hospital having suffered a miscarriage and blames Nader who ends up being accused of manslaughter for killing the baby due to pushing her out of the door and apparently down the stairs. They go back and forth as secrets are revealed and both sides face-off on if Nader could really be held accountable for what happens.
And first I must just say this plot is wonderful, whenever you have a "he says she says" story like this is always is very hit or miss depending on how they decide to set up the character and reveal the key information in the arguments which are things this movie handles perfectly. Playing into the suffering both of these individuals are going through with Razieh having suffered a miscarriage and Nader possibly going to jail being forced to leave his daughter and father it extremely challenging and the depths and raw emotions that these characters have to go through really spoke to the emotional impact this movie carried. You want justice to be served but constantly have to question yourself on who is in the right as the film perfectly crafts this drama revealing questionable motivations and details for both sides. I got fully sucked into this world and this back and forth. In multiple ways, this movie reminded me of the 2017 film The Insult which also features an argument between two individuals that blows up over the course of the film yet my issue in that movie was the argument never seemed to live up to the scale it hoped to be at. The story was never engaging enough to work how they hoped (at least for me), this film however, has a worthy plot filled with strong emotions to where it always felt justified in what they were trying to do.
I also must give credit to the actors here, Sareh Bayat and Leila Hatami give strong genuine performances and the relationship between the two of them proved to be one of the stronger dynamics of the film but it was Peyman Moaadi who ended up stealing the show for me. He perfectly mixed the quick anger and frustration he has to sympathy as he realizes the bigger picture of the situation. He is not a character you necessarily like but he is a character you can empathize with more and more the film goes on. That is the beauty of these characters overall and why I think the film is so engaging, sure you have some natural sympathy with some of the characters such as Razieh as she struggles to survive and create a life for her children but past that these characters are not good or bad. There is no real protagonist or antagonist, just people reacting to events going on which makes the back and forth so much more effective. It feels like anyone could be lying at any moment and as an audience, we don't automatically buy into one side over the other really allowing the film to toss us freely back and forth between each side. The ending is also satisfying, I don't want to give too much away but with a story like this, it is easy to create an underwhelming ending that brings down the film overall but here I felt like the ending was justified and closed the story nicely.
Overall I really loved A Separation and easily see myself checking it out again in the future. It is an engaging story that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats asking questions and reaching conclusions. It's people just wanting the best for themselves and their families and the struggle and conflict that brings. If you like interesting movies that give your mind something to chew on I highly recommend you give this film a try.
Overall I really loved A Separation and easily see myself checking it out again in the future. It is an engaging story that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats asking questions and reaching conclusions. It's people just wanting the best for themselves and their families and the struggle and conflict that brings. If you like interesting movies that give your mind something to chew on I highly recommend you give this film a try.