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A Separation

Play trailer Poster for A Separation PG-13 Released Dec 30, 2011 2h 3m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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99% Tomatometer 177 Reviews 92% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
When Nader (Payman Maadi), a bank employee, refuses to leave Tehran, his wife, Simin (Leila Hatami) sues for divorce in the hope that she can make a better life for their young daughter abroad. Needing someone to care for his senile father while he's at work, Nader hires Razieh (Sareh Bayat), a married woman whose chador hides her pregnancy. One day, after becoming angry with Razieh, Nader shoves her, and she has a miscarriage, leading Razieh's husband to take Nader to court.
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A Separation

A Separation

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Critics Consensus

Morally complex, suspenseful, and consistently involving, A Separation captures the messiness of a dissolving relationship with keen insight and searing intensity.

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Critics Reviews

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David Thomson The New Republic You cannot watch the film without feeling kinship with the characters and admitting their decency as well as their mistakes. Jun 19, 2013 Full Review Jon Frosch The Atlantic Dynamically shot and paced like a thriller, the film has the density and moral prickliness of a good novel. Mar 7, 2012 Full Review Stephanie Zacharek Movieline Nothing earth-shattering happens in A Separation, but the straightforwardness of this view of a disintegrating marriage, set in the context of complicated cultural and religious mors, is dramatic by itself. Rated: 8.5/10 Mar 6, 2012 Full Review Angelos Koutsourakis PopMatters Equally important is that the film avoids oversimplistic condemnations of the Iranian regime, showing that oppression can be propagated unconsciously, even by those who are at the bottom of society. Rated: 7/10 Feb 23, 2024 Full Review Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies It touches on a reality of life that transcends any political or cultural barrier while also offering some thought-provoking insight into the religious laws and social structure of that part of the world. Rated: 4.5/5 Aug 19, 2022 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review A Separation stimulates discussion about how the characters behave and how we feel about their choices. Rated: 4/4 Feb 21, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Sandra V Beautiful and complicated. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/16/25 Full Review Stephen C Success in 2 hours and 3 minutes!!!!!! Rated PG-13 for Mature Thematic Material!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In Persian and English versions with English subtitles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/07/25 Full Review Mohamed G A Separation is without a doubt the best social drama I've had the privilege of viewing. Masterclass in storytelling, honest, raw, and emotionally subtle. The film doesn't rely on melodramatic plot twists or flashy cinematography. Instead, it pulls you in quietly into an intensely human conflict, where every character is real, flawed, and achingly relatable ... it explores morality, justice, family, and pride in a way that lingers long after the credits roll. Direction is subtle yet powerful, and the performances are astonishingly authentic. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/19/25 Full Review Fariba A An absolute masterpiece. so many layers. at the end we should be the judge! but who are we to judge these people. They are all doing the right thing in their own way! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/16/24 Full Review Faiz D Brilliant story and absolutely amazing performances. A Separation is a great movie. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/29/24 Full Review Gary K A snooze fest. Didn’t care about any of the characters. Too long by far. One has to be seriously in love with anything Iranian or be able to speak Farsi in order to enjoy this one. How this is getting such good reviews is a mystery to me. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 06/30/24 Full Review Read all reviews
A Separation

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Cast & Crew

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Asghar Farhadi

Director

Peyman Moaadi

Nader

Leila Hatami

Simin

Sareh Bayat

Razieh

Shahab Hosseini

Hodjat

Merila Zare'i

Miss Ghahraii

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A Separation

Shahab Hosseini as Hodjat in "A Separation." Shahab Hosseini (center) as Hodjat in "A Separation." (L-R) Ali-Asghar Shahbazi and Peyman Moadi as Nader in "A Separation." Leila Hatami as Simin in "A Separation." Kimia Hosseini as Somayeh in "A Separation." Peyman Moadi as Nader and Sarina Farhadi as Termeh in "A Separation." (L-R) Kimia Hosseini as Somayeh and Sareh Bayat as Razieh in "A Separation." Leila Hatami as Simin and Peyman Moadi as Nader in "A Separation." Leila Hatami as Simin in "A Separation." Leila Hatami as Simin and Payman Maadi as Nader in "A Separation." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis When Nader (Payman Maadi), a bank employee, refuses to leave Tehran, his wife, Simin (Leila Hatami) sues for divorce in the hope that she can make a better life for their young daughter abroad. Needing someone to care for his senile father while he's at work, Nader hires Razieh (Sareh Bayat), a married woman whose chador hides her pregnancy. One day, after becoming angry with Razieh, Nader shoves her, and she has a miscarriage, leading Razieh's husband to take Nader to court.
Director
Asghar Farhadi
Producer
Negar Eskandarfar, Asghar Farhadi
Screenwriter
Asghar Farhadi
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
Asghar Farhadi
Rating
PG-13 (Mature Thematic Material)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Persian
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 30, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 12, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$331.7K
Runtime
2h 3m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
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