A Separation just wows its audience on so many levels that it would be unfair not to call it an instant classic. But is this Iranian film about taking care of old people, about the Iranian judicial system, about class divisions in Iranian society or about a couple applying for a divorce? It’s about all of the above and told with a dialogue heavy script that itself is nominated for Best Original Script at this year’s Oscars, in addition to its nom for Best Foreign Film.

A Separation starts out with the lead couple arguing about their impending divorce only the law states that they must both consent. Actress Leila Hatami immediately grabs your interest with her red hair but it’s her husband (Peyman Maadi) who posses a temper of fire. Maadi slightly resembles American actor Adam Scott. Maadi, upset that their maid (Sareh Bayat) has left his infirm Dad alone literally throws her out of his apartment. This leads to a charge of murder when she claims to have miscarried after that incident.

Watching A Separation it dawns on the viewer how much social inequality exists between the main couple and their domestic help; in fact the same story could be told with rich Anglos demeaning their Latino servants. Brought before a judge to determine the case Maadi pleads his case and in fact seems to be in the clear when the court reconvenes at his apartment and examines the distance and angle from his front door to the stairs.

Eventually A Separation becomes greater than the sum of its parts as we glide in sympathy from character to character. A Separation manages to encompass a wealth of human experience in the microcosm of one couple’s tribulation.

- Michael Bergeron