Director: Asghar Farhadi
Stars: Peyman Moadi, Leila Hatami
Year released: 2011
"What is wrong is wrong, no matter who said it or where it's written."
Never estimate the power of a good script. This movie just proved that it doesn't require much to make a good movie, but a good script and nearly perfect casts. If you notice that the movie does not even have music to manipulate its audience's emotions. A Separation counts on its story line and the casts' perfect performances.
A Separation begins in a court. Simin who prefers to live aboard with her family so her daughter could have a better life, but Nader, the husband, insists to stay to take care of his father, who suffers Alzheimer. For that, she wants a divorce. One conflict leads to another conflicts which involve another family. I'm not going to tell you the whole story and just ruin it for you.
I have watched this movie twice since its premier yesterday (28/9). I love how it's made in a very simple yet subtle form. It deals with social, religious issues without over doing it. The story respects its characters so much, that no one comes out in black-white, it's not about good deeds versus bad ones. It's mostly about consequences of one's action.
I sat there on the cinema without any judgement for any of the characters. I just complied to the movie without my mind be ahead of the story. I didn't guess how it will or should end. The truth is I didn't want to. Like the story respects the character, I feel that it also respects its audience, in this case, me. Mutually, I respect it back.
I was really surprised that they actually show this movie in cinema and I'm truly glad that I was patient (or busy) enough to not watch it on video. Sadly, somewhere I read that some cinemas even cancelled some showings due to the lack of audience. That Friday night, in Pluit Junction cinema 21, there were only 4 persons watching this great movie and somehow, I felt we were the luckiest four person that night.
They still show A Separation in some cinemas around Jakarta, probably not for long. I hope you get to experience one of 2011's best movies.
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