Released in 2011 | Directed by Asghar Farhadi

A Separation, Iran’s entry in the Best Foreign Language Film category for this year’s Oscars, is much more like a novel than a film. It slowly unfolds, and depends on the patience of its audience in spinning a complex tale of religion, feminism and male privilege, courtroom drama, adolescence, secrets and lies, divorce in a patriarchal society, tragedy and, above all, morality. The film is so subtle in painting its characters and coaxing its audience into their lives that one does not realize just how invested they have become until each character is pushed to their limit, whatever that limit might be. A Separation is a great film because it doesn’t designate any of its characters as heroic or morally superior; instead, each character reacts justifiably to the increasingly tense situations they are thrown into. The question of morality is posed to the viewer.

I can’t praise this film enough. The setting of modern-day Iran compliments the film’s basic themes of truth, religion and moral obligation beautifully. The acting is fantastic and unrestrained. The film is beautifully shot and rife with symbolism, my favorite occurring during the film’s final scene and involving a carefully placed transparent wall. Farhadi’s script allows for scenes to last as long as they have to, denying the audience immediate satisfaction in favor of a slow, simmering build. The film is unpredictable yet realistic; graceful yet unrelenting. Like a great novel, A Separation is not disposable or easily digested. The moral questions posed in the film linger, as each character makes decisions that toy with preconceptions of what’s morally right and wrong. In their own way, each character is deceitful, and as it always does, the truth slowly rises to the surface. By the film’s end, the audience is unsure whose side to take, and for good reason. There are no easy answers.

I would recommend A Separation to anyone who loves movies, novels or any sort of dramatic fiction. It requires patience, but good things come to those who wait. Hopefully as I continue my 365 Film Challenge, I’ll be able to watch more films I’ve missed from 2011, but I find it unlikely that many will surpass this one.

5 down, 360 to go.