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Zoe Fox

HONR Social Film

Julie Hicks

20 March 2015

A Separation

In the 2011 Iranian film, A Separation, directed by Asghar Farhadi the lifestyles of the

Iranian people are portrayed. We see into many different aspects of this country and how it

works from the roots of the judicial system. Unlike most thought of Americans, the country is

more westernized than one would think. One small story gone wrong sends the movie into a mix

of secrets, lies, and unfortunate circumstances. The main idea of a separation is incorporated in

many different forms throughout the film.

One of the most obvious physical separations between people in the movie involved

objects such as walls, doors, and windows. These objects acted as physical barriers between the

characters in the film. These objects symbolized the actual separation between the characters.

Many different times in the film we see that the characters are separated by walls, even within

their own houses. Termeh is told to go to her room or Somayeh is told to leave a room when the

adult characters in the film want to speak. These walls shows the separation that the adult figures

put on their lives verses the children. The walls and doors seem to bring along with them many

secrets and stories that are the basis of the movie. Without the separation of the rooms by doors

and windows, the conflicts within the court case wouldn’t be a problem and the lies amongst the

various characters wouldn’t exist. The main separation of the film is focused on Simin and Nader

and we see that through the use of walls in the final scene. After asking their daughter to make

the ultimate decision as to who she is going to live with, they both leave the court room. The

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movie closes with the two sitting outside of the court room separated by a clear wall. This shows

that no matter what these characters have done or will do there will always be that line of

separation between the two.

Another major separation in the film lies between social classes. This form of separation

is a little more subtle throughout the movie but it is noticeable. It is obvious from the beginning

that Simin and Nader live a higher class lifestyle. We are quickly taken on a tour of their home

and all of the more lavish things that they have that fit a more western lifestyle. We see that they

have things such as a fridge with an ice maker, a washer and dryer, and just more extra stuff in

general. On the opposite end of the social class spectrum we see the caregiver, Razieh, and her

family. Once we are introduced to her family and we see where they live, the audience quickly

learns that they don’t have a lot of money. Their house is very small and almost hut-like. We also

see that their house not only houses the three of them but also other distant family all in one

small living space. Another obvious giveaway of their lack of money is the fact that Razieh is

willing to travel on public transportation for an hour and a half just to have the job as caregiver

and make a little bit of money. This separation amongst classes also ends up being part of the

main problem in the film because the husband Nader accuses Razieh of stealing money from

them. Because she is poorer, Nader assumes that she stole the money from him in hopes of

collecting a larger profit from her caregiving duties. This accusation is one of the main things

that sends the whole situation and court case into a downward spiral.

The hardest separation for me to personally deal with in the film is the separation

between the daughter, Termeh, and her parents. The entire time the parents are conflicting in the

film they do not realize that they slowly tearing their daughter apart. She gets caught in the

middle of her parents and having to choose which one she wants to support throughout the

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duration of the court case. Not only do they coax her into lying for them but they also force her

to make the ultimate decision that no child should ever have to make. The movie ends with the

daughter asking her parents to leave the court room so that she can make the ultimate decision as

to which parent she will spend the rest of her life with. No parent should ever put this kind of

decision on a child because it will only cause them more psychological problems in the future.

This separation is hard for me because I can personally relate to her position. My parents

separated and got divorced a little over 2 years ago and my brothers and I were put in the same

situation. Even though we weren’t forced to make a decision as outrageous as this one, we were

still caught in the middle of our parent’s problems. No matter what our lives where going to be

affected by this divorce and that effect is something that I definitely connected with Termeh’s

character on.

This film introduces the audience to the everyday lifestyle of people of Iran. From the

moment the movie begins you can see the major differences in many different aspects such as the

way they dress, how they travel, and what their country looks like in general. One of the main

differences that stood out to me in the film is the portrayal of women in society. Women are

expected to be more obedient to the men in this country. They are viewed as the housewives that

bare children. Some women in this society had jobs but they were definitely lower class jobs and

simpler titles. Another major thing that set the women apart is the way they dressed. Women

were expected to cover up more by wearing both a “hijab” over their head and a “coat or

manteau” on their bodies (letsgoiran). Women are expected to be covered up while men have the

freedom to wear just about anything that they want. The only rule that I could find on men in

Iran is that “shorts are not acceptable in big cities” (inheritpersia). Unlike the west, this country

has strict rules that its’ people should follow and these rules set apart genders in the society.

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Another limitation that is set in the film revolves around religion. “At least 90 percent of

the population are Muslims” (countrystudies). In the film we learn that Razieh and her family are

very religious, unlike the other characters. She is constantly covering herself with more and more

layers beyond the normal standard rules of the country. When it comes to the court case it is also

spoken of that she and her husband have a Quran bible in their household that can be used to

swear on in the trial. The differences amongst the families in the film allows the audience to see

how religion affects the daily lifestyle of the people in this country.

My overall impression of the Iran presented in this film is that they definitely live a more

westernized lifestyle than I thought. Based off of the news and information that we are provided

here in America, I assumed that the Iran were very poor people that were constantly involved in

war and fighting with other countries. After watching the film I now see that they live very

similar lifestyles to those that we live here in America. Through the house wife and her husband

we see the lower class society of Iran. Even though this lifestyle isn’t completely similar to that

of the average American, we still have people living in that style of poverty here as well.

Through the husband and wife we see the wealthier higher class lifestyle of the Iran that easily

relates to the common lifestyle here in the west.

I enjoyed this film because it gave me a different view of the Iran people. There were

some parts though that I feel could have been better. I felt as though some of the camera

recordings were poorly done and the screen almost felt bouncy at points. I also thought that the

movie was a little unnecessarily long. There were parts of the movie that seemed to be dragging

on way more than what was needed. The overall idea of the film was very interesting though

because it was a great combination of the everyday life and the judicial framework of the

country. This film really allowed you to see into the country of Iran and how it is ran.

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Summaries

Iran’s Divorce Rate:

The main focus of this article is on the major increase in divorces in the country of Iran.

Instead of having a national marriage day, they renamed it the national no divorce day. This was

in hopes of lowering the hundreds and thousands of divorces that take place in Iran every year.

The article also discusses statistics on divorces and how they are taken place even sooner in

marriages with 30% in the first year of marriage and 80% in the first five years. It also goes into

discuss how the prejudices against people who have divorced has faded. I believe that you chose

this article because it relates to the separation of Simin and Nader and how they are potentially

getting divorced.

Iran Negotiators:

This article focuses on the nuclear power of Iran. It discusses the militia that their country

has and the rules that are set against the country and how they can use that nuclear power. Also

Iran and the United States are coming to an agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear program. Also the

current nuclear power in the Middle East is Israel.

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Works Cited

"Dress Code." Dress Code in Iran : Inherit Persia. Web. 21 Mar. 2015.

"Iran Women Dress Code." Iran Women Dress Code | Women Cloth in Iran | Iranian Women

Dress | Muslims Women. Web. 20 Mar. 2015.

"Iran - RELIGION." Iran - RELIGION. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.