A Separation
A dissolving Tehran marriage becomes an emotionally charged moral maze when caregiving duty, class inequality, and contested truth collide.
Overview
A gripping exploration of family and societal pressures in modern Iran.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- tense
- intimate
- morally complex
- serious movie night
- international cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard it as a morally complex, suspenseful, intensely involving drama distinguished by keen social insight, precise writing, and exceptional ensemble performances.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Nader, Razieh, and the other family members offer conflicting explanations whose partial truths continually reshape the audience's judgment.
The financially strained caregiver Razieh and her family collide with Nader and Simin's more secure household over care, money, and responsibility.
Nader's commitment to his father with Alzheimer's directly conflicts with Simin's wish to emigrate with their daughter.
Apartments, stairwells, offices, and family interactions become the primary sources of pressure and uncertainty.
Films like A Separation, and why
Force Majeure
morally complex family conflict, social realism, and escalating domestic tension
The Salesman
Iranian social realism, ethical ambiguity, and tightly observed interpersonal conflict
Scenes from a Marriage
naturalistic performances, marital breakdown, and emotionally intricate moral dilemmas
Shoplifters
class tension, family pressure, and suspense built from competing subjective accounts
Movie Details
- Director
- Asghar Farhadi
- Release Date
- 2011-02-15
- Runtime
- 123 min
- Rating
- 7.9 / 10 (2028)
Cast
- Payman Maadi
- Leila Hatami
- Shahab Hosseini
- Sareh Bayat
- Sarina Farhadi
- Ali-Asghar Shahbazi
- Merila Zarei
- Babak Karimi
- Kimia Hosseini
- Armine Zeytounchian
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Hulu
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is A Separation about?
- A dissolving Tehran marriage becomes an emotionally charged moral maze when caregiving duty, class inequality, and contested truth collide.
- What is A Separation like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A Separation as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is A Separation violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in A Separation as mild.
- What did critics think of A Separation?
- Critics broadly regard it as a morally complex, suspenseful, intensely involving drama distinguished by keen social insight, precise writing, and exceptional ensemble performances.
- Which films are like A Separation?
- Films with a similar feel include Force Majeure, The Salesman, Scenes from a Marriage, and Shoplifters.
- How long is A Separation?
- A Separation runs 123 minutes.
- Where can I watch A Separation?
- In United States, A Separation streams on Hulu.
