A Separation

now this is gonna be one of those longer reviews. there's just something about iranian cinema that gets me every time. idk if that is the human nature, the moral touch, the realism or just the script and cinematography; or maybe just the combination of all of these. firstly, the opening sequence in itself is a masterclass in filmmaking. people say "omg inglourious basterds this" "inglourious basterds that" and how great its opening scene is. yes it is. BUT THIS. Farhadi lays out the ENTIRE premise of his film in under three minutes. you know who the (implied) protagonists are, you know what the dispute is, you know what 'separation' in the title refers to, and you know what it is all going to be about. secondly, we have seen scores of movies where religion is destructive, where it causes division, (mis)used to create bigoted outcomes. but here, though impliedly, Farhadi shows how religion can be a unifying force. Razieh denies taking oath on Quran and thus the blood money. her devoutness to religion (and therefore, morality) made the entire fact-finding so deeply human. thirdly, the way Farhadi shows class differences? omg people can you please stop sucking Parasite's ass? THIS is how you show class differences; how it is subtle at times (the way razieh's family works, how deeply ingrained their belief in religion is, and how they follow religion out of fear of consequences, and not plainly out of belief), but yet so clear every time (how simin works, smokes, and drinks, but razieh literally has to take her husband's permission to be able to work to pay off HIS debts). lastly, lets not even go into how well the entire social landscape of iran is portrayed in just two hours. you know how deeply personal their legal system is, you know how strongly patriarchal notions are inherent in the society, and you know the irreplaceable importance religion plays in their system (with iran being a theocracy, ofc). and that CLOSING SEQUENCE, it literally shows how deep the Separation is. that door is symbolic for the irreconcilable their differences are. towards the end, Nader sits and Simin keep standing, showing also the differences in their ideologies, of how Nadfer's belief system is that to stay grounded and remain in the country with his father (touch the grass), but also how Simin wants to move away from this country and make a better future with her daughter (touch the stars). and they never cross that door. the movie ends just like that, keeping you guessing about whom tarmeh chose. and there is so much more in this movie i can never shut up about. but for now, bear with this yall.