Nader and Simin, A Separation (Iran, 2011)

Aichi Insurance Physicians’ Newspaper

Life is a cycle of meetings and farewells. There is no stress greater than the loss of a loved one through death, but separation by divorce can cause nearly three-quarters as much psychological trauma. A couple, married for fourteen years and living with their only daughter and the husband’s elderly father, is faced with a major life decision: the father's care or their daughter's future. The husband insists they cannot emigrate because his father suffers from dementia, while the wife, determined to move abroad for a better future, demands a divorce. Their marital bond begins to unravel, and the wife returns to her parents' home.

Reluctantly, the husband hires a housekeeper. However, the devout Muslim housekeeper is shaken when she witnesses the father's incontinence. While her attention lapses, the father with dementia wanders off and is nearly hit by a car. When the husband returns home, he finds his father collapsed, unconscious, with his hands tied to the bed. Enraged, he violently drives the housekeeper out. That night, upon learning that the housekeeper has been hospitalized, the couple visits her and discovers she has had a miscarriage. The husband is charged with the murder of the 19-week-old fetus and must undergo questioning. Meanwhile, the housekeeper files charges against the father for abusive treatment. The court case gradually draws in more and more people. The housekeeper’s husband, unemployed and desperate for money, pushes for a settlement, but the housekeeper herself is tormented by her conscience.

This quietly powerful film depicts both the sorrow of life in the Middle East and the sincerity of Muslim values. Except for the issue of caring for a parent with dementia, it may be difficult for audiences in developed nations to fully grasp. Still, even though we live in different environments, the troubles of human life remain the same across our small planet.

This Iranian film won this year’s Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film (as well as the Golden Globe in the same category). The beautiful wife, who resembles Ingrid Bergman, subtly adds to the film’s emotional depth.