Off-topic, but Leila Hatami looks faintly like Lady Gaga.
It took a sore while for s*** to hit the fence, but when it did, phew; I began begging that I’d never have to go through a multi-sided tragedy as strenuous as this. For what is essentially just a pretty foreseeable—thank you, cutaway cues—and straightforward drama with high stakes, The Separation is elevated from its facades with some committed performances and plenty of dialogue that feel immensely grounded in our own reality.
In the end, add this one along with The Hunt to your marathon list for “strictly realistic 7/10 dramas where daily life suddenly turns to sheer family hell for two opposing sides so they ought to fight it all off with the law and powerful words or crying-face gazes and umm… regret and secrets and… stuff.”
Verdict: B
“A Separation” is now available to stream on The Criterion Channel.
Burning the Celluloid 
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