Poignant and tense, A Separation fully creates believable drama (the best kind) and is a proud standout in the realism of Iran New Wave.

The most compelling legal drama since '12 Angry Men.' It's impossible to take sides as we're presented with multiple earnest variations of a miserable situation. There are struggles with honor, responsibility, faith and big questions about morality. This is a family drama that transcends culture, though clearly presented through the Iranian lens. Our own moral compass is stretched to its limit. We're asked 'what would you do?' and then, at our most vulnerable, we're called to the witness stand.

kiorastami tarzında, hareketli kamera kullanımıyla gerçekçiliği yakalamış. hikaye örgüsü de çok iyi kurgulanmış ama filmin izlenimi zor

Very well written drama with strong characters. Capable acting and directing.

Well written film with multi-layered story, strong characters and good acting. Also, it's boring. Every character is closed-minded, acts based on principles or financial gain rather than common sense or simply kindness. This creates plenty of conflict, but there is nothing positive coming out of it. For one thing cultural differences were very distracting to me.

Incredibly well-written and well shot, this dialogue-heavy drama felt as tense as a Hitchcock thriller. The characters are so well-rounded and complex, that you really go back and forth on who you're rooting for! The second I left the theatre, I knew it was one of the best films I've seen in a long time. A perfect ending to a near-perfect film.

Brilliantly acted and written. The extremely slow pace and slow first act are difficult to get through, but it picks up right after that.

Amazing cast. Simple story.

On the first viewing, A SEPARATION starts rather slowly, but once the core drama of the film kicks in, the layers of mystery and confusion deepen, for the characters and for us, until it everyone is effectively plaintiff and defendant simultaneously. Asghar Farhadi's excellent script makes up for a mild lack of flair in the direction; superb acting from all, especially Peyman Moaadi as the frustrated Nader, Shahab Hosseini as the crumbling Hojjat, and Babak Karimi as the weary interrogator.

Farhadi's universally appealing and might I add, amazing screenplay in conjunction with the uniformly excellent performances makes this one of the most realistic portraits of a decaying marriage I've seen. The lack of aesthetic qualities provides the film with a rough, unpolished facet, and in turn prevents prompt judgments while allowing you to assess these characters like you would members of your own family. This suggests respect, not just for its characters but especially for its audience.

A brilliantly constructed screenplay highlights powerful family drama that ingeniously establishes a myriad of ethical and moral dilemmas for its characters, and explores the ramifications of dedication to religious dogma. Entire cast are superb and minimalist direction (even foregoing a musical score) makes the drama all the more real and raw.

A very quite masterpiece. It desevers the attention it got from the oscars. The characters are so well written, the thematic is very intersting and the acting is great. If you look for something that makes you think, here you go. If you look for explosions and a plain love story, go away.

The level of realism in this movie is simply frightening. Actually the word movie doesn't cut it anymore if you have to use it to describe both this masterpiece and the trash they put out from Hollywood these days.

A complex, psychological portrait of not just a couple, but a family, a community, and dare I say, an entire society. What begins as a simple disjunction between a married couple continues to grow and manifest itself in ever larger networks of people, involving children, neighbors, employees, community officials, and even the justice system. The acting is exceptional, none more so than the young lady playing the daughter. And the opening and closing shots are just magnificent.

i expected more

A remarkable film and a treasure in the present scenario of Iranian Cinema. Loved the suspense in the script even though it is a drama. The ball of empathy is frequently tossed from one court to other and the director fiddles with the audience's perception of how well they truly understand human behavior in a given society. At the end no one can be exculpated of their sins.

Masterfully written and acted.

A fantastic script on morally explosive subject matter, that maintains a great deal of ambiguity throughout, defies attempts at rash judgment and challenges the viewer to reconsider their sympathies with each new plot turn. A Separation's great complexity never disturbs the realism and narrative integrity. The weakest link is the way the film looks. I found the lighting consistently flat and ugly... but that's my only quibble.

Perfectly writing, acting and directing... You can find anywhere a divorce story, but there is no this kind of storytelling anywhere.

Essentially decent people find themselves in impossible positions in the pressure cooker of modern Tehran. Riveting throughout, this complex drama beautifully illustrates that everyone - whether modern or traditional, middle- or working-class, man or woman - has reason to feel that they are doing the right thing, while losing the way in the moral maze. And the weight of their actions falls on the shoulders of the children. A powerful film that will stay with me for a long time.

Two hours of people arguing.

This movie is so natural and real. Great acting.

At first glance it seems like a quaint family drama about three people trying to resolve private dispute is actually a relentless study of a human downward spiral. Despite clearly loving their children, the various parents in the film essentially position them like chess pieces. As more truth is revealed, the audience sits, wondering where judgment should fall and there is no clear right answer. The performances are incredible and the screenplay terrific. Deserves all the accolades it received.

While I can see why some people adore this film, it failed to get under my skin and I can not reward its melodrama with a high score. Decent, not good.

A Separation is a poignant work that is imbued with humanity and presents no easy answers. It has a fantastic screenplay and it really feels effortless, to the point that I can't put my finger on why exactly this is a great film but it definitely is more than the sum of its parts. This one will age like a fine wine. Score is not a grade.

Brilliant. The more critical aspects of it - the divide between the worldly "Western" couple and the more traditional one, neither of which were demonised, the differences in how women and men are treated, the weight given to words like "insult", "honour", etc - worked very nicely, as subtle as they were. But the heart of it really is a really well-done, engrossing, low-key family/crime drama where pride and love take turns dragging each other towards open conflict.

A Seperation is drama done perfectly. First and foremost, the screenplay is perfect - the characters, situations and decisions are believable and relatable - but secondly, and probably just as importantly, the filmmaking is absolutely subdued and restrained. The filmmaking is deliberate but careful never to draw attention unto itself, keeping the focus on the drama at hand. The audience forgets that they are watching a film, and gets sucked into this gutwrenching tale.

Interesting story but very tedious at times, not even counting the rapid fire dialogue with even more rapid fire subtitles. I gotta say, what's the big deal, except for how it makes Iranian society seem normal--like there's not massive political strife and oppression in Iran. Goebbels did the same thing for Germany 80 years ago. We just need an Iranian Errol Flynn.