A Separation is an utterly compelling and profound film that focuses on a contemporary Iranian middle-class couple who separate, and the intrigues which follow. The film received the Academy Award in 2012 for Best Foreign Language Film and a nomination for Best Original Screenplay. It also received the Golden Bear for Best Film and the Silver Bears for Best Actress and Best Actor at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival. Nader and Simin have been married for fourteen years and live with their eleven-year-old daughter Termeh in Tehran. Not exactly out-of-love, Nader and Simin are attempting to divorce on the grounds of irreconcilable differences. They have acquired visas to emigrate from Iran - Simin is anxious to ensure a better future for Termeh, but Nader refuses to leave his elderly father who suffers from Alzheimer's disease. When the judge refuses to formalise their separation, Simin departs the family home, leaving the obstinate Nader to hire a housekeeper. Razieh is a devout, impoverished woman who tends to the apartment and Nader's father. When Nader returns one day to find his father alone, it leads to an altercation that has unexpected consequences. Propelled by an acute attention to class, religious and gender differences, Farhadi's meticulous script questions the very basis of truth and ethics, and explores the cultural, social and judicial minefield that plagues contemporary Iran. At its heart a gripping, humane drama that recalls classic Hitchcock in its twists and turns, A Separation puts director Asghar Farhadi at the front rank of contemporary world directors.
