20 Foreign Language Movies You Must See Before You Die
12. A Separation
Country: Iran.
Plot: A couple's marriage disintegrates as the wife wishes to leave Iran and the father, who wants to stay in order to take care of his seriously ill father, faces a criminal charge.
A Separation is one of the finest films, in any language, of the 2010s.
It's a deceptive film in terms of genre as it is, plot-wise, a divorce drama but it goes above and beyond all expectations. It's endlessly involving, morally complex and genuinely more intense and suspenseful than the average Hollywood thriller. It's a palm-sweating, emotionally shattering and volcanic work which won't so much move audiences as leave them staring open-mouthed at the screen.
It's also worth seeing for the uniformly unreal cast, who all give amazing, note-perfect performances (including young actress Sarina Farhadi, writer-director Asghar Farhadi's daughter, who gives one of the finest child actor performances of recent times) that put most American actors to shame.
It's a piece of drama you'll never forget and is a testament to just how well-written a film can be. Iranian cinema is very good overall and is definitely worth exploring, but if you only get round to seeing one Iranian film, make sure it's this one.