From the opening shot of A Separation, the audience is asked to be judge and jury in this complex examination of morality and principle. Staring down the camera lens at the viewer, Nader (Payman Moadi) and his wife Simin (Leila Hatami) argue with an unseen judge about Simin’s right to take their daughter out of the country, to escape the harsh realities of Iranian life. It’s a short sequence, but the couple’s subsequent separation becomes a catalyst, sparking off a series of seemingly innocuous moments, understandable choices and white lies that all yield devastating consequences.
After Simin leaves the family home, Nader struggles to care for his Alzheimer’s inflicted father, and hires the deeply religious Razieh (Sareh Bayat.) Modest and deeply devout, Razieh is unprepared for the strain the work will put on her religious beliefs – one unforgettable scene sees her leave her confused ward to sit in soiled clothes as she phones her religious leader, questioning the moral implications of removing his trousers. When Nader comes home one day to find Razieh absent and his unconscious father tied to his bed, he lashes out, firing her and throwing her out of his home. Her subsequent miscarriage leads to a court case where the two families’ moral codes are tested.
A fascinating, damning account of the Iranian justice system (the term doesn’t apply loosely, but laughably), the court case is a baffling display of anarchic apathy. Held in claustrophobic rooms, the parties stand screaming before a casually clad judge, free to convene and conspire with their witnesses.
But director Asghar Arfahdi never condemns his characters. As details and truths slowly unfurl, the moral perspective constantly changes, with an empathy and balance that makes each character’s reasoning clear, and forgivable. They’re all wrong, but no more wrong than the other.
A morally complex, engaging and empathetic examination of how people’s principles are moulded by their class and religion, A Separation marries superb writing with the best ensemble cast of the year in a film that’s never divorced from reality.