A Separation was interesting, but it did not impress me as much as I expected given the glowing critical acclaim. The most interesting aspect of the film is the implicit class conflict, between the presumably middle class family and the decidedly lower class family they become involved with when they hire the wife to look after their aging grandfather. The middle class folk display a interesting obliviousness to the religious and economic concerns of the lower class family, and they also display a more flexible moral attitude towards lying, especially in the context of their religion. I see a parallel to the (largely hidden) class division in the United States, where God-fearing poor-folk play by the rules while the rich do whatever the fuck they want – maybe it’s a bit of a stretch, but that’s what I found myself thinking about after the film.

As far as the supposed Rashomon-like fascination of the film, I didn’t see it. To me it was pretty straightforward. The religious hang-ups of the lower class folk basically cause all the problems. Sure the middle class people are exploitative and dishonest, but the fundamental deception grows out of the inability of the lower class couple to communicate with each other, and that lack of communication appeared to me to have everything to do with their stultifying religious beliefs (which in the context of Iranian society is probably a very bold message.) Once the whole fiasco is set in motion, there follows layer upon layer of moral dilemma as various people struggle with whether or not they should lie about their role. But in the end, you get the sense that none of it was really necessary and that the lives of everybody are, if not ruined, then at least fucked up for the foreseeable future. Thus when you are finished with the film you don’t really feel fascination so much as depression.

I’m really not sure I can recommend this film. It’s a somewhat interesting portrait of Iranian life, but my overall impression of the story is that it’s a bit dreary and a bit tedious, and certainly not intellectually thrilling.