A Separation

I had seen the ending of this years ago but always put off watching it. Knowing this, I expected a quiet domestic drama about who the viewer and daughter would side with. Instead, I got a carefully plotted thriller which was so engaging from start to finish. The story focuses on an incident, which doesn't seem to be major at first, that ends up being the main part of the film. The way the divorce is shown through this event and all that comes with it is masterfully done, not even mentioning the brilliant set up this scene has. The filmmaking feels more like a drama though which just adds to the tension. The realism style with handheld cameras makes everything feel like something that's happened. The editing was also great as in scenes of conflict the cuts would be faster giving the movie this frantic feel. I loved the way the characters interacted with each other and I think that contemplated the pacing really well as every conversation either added another layer to the tension or characrers. The climax though was amazing and in the last half an hour I was genuinely on edge. Overall this has the perfect balance between realism and tension/emotion. His other work also sounds great so I can't wait to get into that too.