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Canberra Today 13°/16° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Review: “A Separation” (PG) ? ? ? ?

A middle-class Iranian couple, Nader and Simin, is preparing to divorce.  Simin wants to emigrate to give their 11-year-old daughter Termeh a better future. Nader cannot leave his father who has Alzheimer’s disease. The judge refuses to grant the divorce. Simin moves out. Nader engages a housekeeper Razieh to care for his father while he is at work.

On this foundation of not-greatly-remarkable domestic issues, film-maker Asghar Farhadi has built a profound observation of an Iranian family in turmoil.

Razieh goes out one morning leaving the old man tied to his bed to stop him wandering. Nader berates her, accuses her of theft and fires her.  Leaving the apartment she falls on the stairs. Next thing she is in hospital miscarrying.

This year’s Oscar-winning Best Foreign Language film examines Iranian attitudes and issues about women’s social standing, the moral and ethical imperatives taught in the Quran, the justice system and family structures.

If this list sounds unexciting, be assured that the tensions and conflicts in “A Separation” demonstrate the contrary, engaging us with the characters from a variety of directions and a uniform level of involvement, making us concerned for resolution of their issues.

That process makes the denouement a kicker of the finest water, a woman torn by an obligation to choose. We leave knowing that the film has extended a subtle, emotionally-intense invitation to resolve it in our own way.

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Dougal Macdonald

Dougal Macdonald

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