A Separation details
| Formats: | PG DVD, Blu-ray |
|---|---|
| Starring: | Sareh Bayat, Sarina Farhadi, Leila Hatami, Kimia Hosseini |
| Director: | Asghar Farhadi |
| Genres: | Drama, World Cinema - Middle East |
| Studio: | FUSION MEDIA |
| Original title | Jodaeiye Nader az Simin |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
A Separation |
PG Feature |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 2 hours 3 minutes |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 21 Nov 2011 |
| Main languages: | Persian |
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LOVEFiLM Review
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By Jonathan Crocker from LOVEFiLMThis Iranian drama is in competition with some big-budget blockbusters this summer, but it more than holds its own.
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Most helpful review
Painful and powerful Iranian family tragedy
By CulturalTalesofTwoCities (19 reviews) from Manchester , 23 Aug 2011[Highly rated reviewer]
This painful, Iranian family tragedy won many awards at the Berlin Film Festival, and is poignant and very touching. The story starts with a middle class couple who face a dilemma. Simin (Leila Hatami) wants to take her 11 year old daughter Termeh (Sarina Farhadi) abroad so that she has more of a chance to study and grow up in a less oppressive society for her gender. Her husband Nader (Peyman Moaadi) refuses to accept the plan, as he feels the understandable filial weight of obligation to look after his elderly father, who lives with them and has Alzheimer’s.
Simin leaves to go to stay with her mother, with her daughter staying at home with her father and grandpa. Nader hires a woman to look after his father and to do the housework whilst he is at work. But things start to go very wrong as the woman, who is pregnant, has to go to the doctor’s urgently, and leaves the old man tied to his bed.
This is an almost Shakespearian tragedy, but without a real villain. Director Asghar Farhadi shows each character in the piece to be human, fallible, and with a great sense of either moral or religious duty and sometimes both. It is painful, and very convincingly acted by all. Special mention must go to Sarina Farhadi playing the daughter, torn between the parents she so loves, and watching their actions tear themselves, and unwittingly others too, apart. It almost feels like watching a documentary in places it is so real. And there are no saccharine filled happy endings here, just a very moving and intelligent film, which explores complex religious, gender and class divisions in great detail.- Was this review helpful to you?
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All reviews
(66)Powerful, moving and compelling; breaking stereotypes of Iran
By Tontoe (3 reviews) , 18 May 2013I rented this on its star rating, knowing little about the film apart from the synopsis. Initially, I was sceptical, thinking that it was one-dimensional and, I admit, being a bit dismissive in thinking an Iranian film could not be any good. I was about as wrong as I could be on all counts, and gave myself a bit of a mental slapping about believing the stereotypes of Iran presented on our TV screens and in our papers. This film reflects a complex and multi-layered society and is itself both of those things. Above all, it is human and moving. The characters are excellently drawn and don't feel at all plot-driven. My heart went out to the people involved in this drama about momentous happenings in ordinary people's lives . The portrayals and performance were powerful, nuanced and compelling - so much so that I was moved to tears. And as a white male Northerner I don't cry much (honest!). This is kind of in the tradition of the best French cinema - a drama about the 'small' [but massively significant to them] things in everyday people's lives is somehow much more powerful than Hollywood blockbusters concerned solely with massive events of global significance. But then I'm not a big fan of Hollywood blockbusters in general [although there always exceptions to a rule]. So if you like your Hollywood action movie, this won't be for you, otherwise, rent this and prepare to be moved.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Do not miss this film
By jacktheboxer (10 reviews) , 11 May 2013Watching this film is like disecting a flower petal by petal. The more you peel away, the more intricate, complicated and delicate it becomes. There could be World War 3 going on outside but such is it's hold despite the 'ordinaryness' of the subject matter that it holds the watcher mesmerised until the last frame.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Out of the ordinary but great entertainment
By Bridman (26 reviews) from Bridlington , 30 Apr 2013In the first few minutes I was wondering why I had rented this film but soon it took my interest and continued to do so throughout the duration. I'm not sure whether this rates as brilliant acting - it all seems so natural and unrehearsed. Overall it just seems so damn real - maybe that counts for brilliant direction. This is so different from the normal run of films and yet it is gripping entertainment.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Alien world, shared desires
By cuatroquete (2 reviews) , 24 Apr 2013First of all, it is a very entertaining and compelling to watch movie. The fact that is an Iranian drama could cause headaches to some, but trust me, you don't get bored. I don't know how the director could scape the inevitable censorship, maybe through suggesting current state of affairs at that theocracy more than denouncing it. The character of the judge is the most intriguing of the movie , half father figure half strict executor of the law. Really an alien legal system but nevertheless instructive. At the end of the movie, we have been all the way through with the characters. We share a common desire of freedom and justice with them, despite the circumstances. A great piece of entertaining film making.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Like watching a real life documentary
By ASDFG (8 reviews) , 05 Apr 2013The acting and story is so good that I forgot I was watching a film and not some real life documentary. To a kid this would be too talky but adults will appreciate the difficult issues brought up here. Without giving anything away I would have liked to have seen a better closure to the film but nevertheless worth watching.- Was this review helpful to you?
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