After reading my post about The Color of Paradise, my friend Katy suggested I watch The Separation, another Iranian film. It's directed by Asghar Farhadi.
It's brilliant. It's just brilliant. You've heard the phrase, "All hat, no cattle." Well this is all cattle, no hat.
Not showy. Low budget. All plot. All character development. The plot revolves around an Iranian family dealing with the stress of caring for an aging father with Alzheimer's. And what happens when a caretaker is hired to take care of the father.
This movie would be fabulous for a movie group who wanted something meaty to discuss. It would be great in a forensics class to talk about motive. I would also love to see it with someone schooled in Muslim religious law and Iranian civil law---there was so much to this movie than I didn't totally understand because I don't know the Koran as well as I'd like to.
Watch this with someone intelligent so you can talk about it. Or by yourself on a night when aren't in the mood for P and P* or S and S* (nothing wrong with those) or when you don't want something funny or action-packed. But when you want a drama of all dramas, find this film.
And one final note. The last scene, the way it's done . . . wow. I just sat there for a long time. Wow.
Let me know if you like it. And thanks Katy for a great recommendation!
*This is Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. Of course.
