Part engrossing mystery, part stirring drama and part social commentary, A Separation resonates and captivates on many levels and introduces Asghar Farhadi as a filmmaker to watch out for.

Iran has garnered a reputation for exporting some fine films, with A Separation the jewel of its local film industry thanks to its recent Oscar win for Best Foreign Film. Yet this is a film that should have been in contention for Best Picture. From the direction down to its performances, A Separation is a near perfect movie that engages, frustrates and illuminates in equal measure.

The film stars Peyman Moadi and Leila Hatami as Nader and Simin, a married couple who are leading down the path to divorce. Simin wants to leave Iran for better quality of life for her and her daughter (Sarina Farhadi, daughter of Asghar). Nader wants to stay and take care of his father (Ali-Asghar Shahbizi) who is suffering from Alzheimer’s.  

When Nader hires Razieh (Sareh Bayat) to clean the house and watch over Nader’s father, things get very bad very fast when he returns home to find his father tied to a bedpost and near death. A confrontation with Razieh leads to her having a miscarriage (her claim) and Nader is taken to court where he has to defend his word against Razieh’s allegation of assault.

Immediately the stakes are made clear. There is no justice as swift and decisive as Iranian justice and the threat of prison weighs heavy on Nader’s head. Worse is the hounding of Razieh’s violently inclined husband (Shahab Hosseini) who wants restitution for his loss.

As the mystery deepens to who is telling the truth, so too does our interest. Once in a while comes a film that is hard to turn away from, with A Separation just that film sinking its hooks further in us with every scene.

Writer/director Asghar Farhadi has written a superb screenplay and directs it with equal brilliance. He has managed to make a film that says something about the state of affairs in his Iran and weaves that message into an engrossing tapestry of mystery and drama. It’s also a superb court room thriller, giving an inside look into the workings of Iranian law and uses that as a lynchpin into an investigation for the truth.

Performances from a cast of veteran and rookie actors take to Farhadi’s script with equal brilliance. Moadi and Hatami shine as the divorcing couple central to the story, as does Sarina Farhadi as the lone child stuck in the middle.

Most impressive of all is first time actress Sareh Bayat. It’s hard to believe that such a stirring, complete performance was given by someone with zero screen experience yet Bayat is especially good, her vulnerability so heartbreaking and fear so real.

Farhadi has made quite a special film in A Separation. Since its release at numerous festivals early last year it has been lauded with praise and awards. May it be rewarded even more and may Farhadi continue to make more films this good.