Monday, September 05, 2011

TSC 1: A Separation (Fahradi, 2011)


This being day 1 of The September Challenge, it was key that I get off the right foot, and actually go see a movie today. September is often when a lot of the Cannes movies get released, i.e. flicks with a little more cachet than what typically gets released during the summer (no offense, Pirates of the Caribbean 7: Skulls v. Bones). But since I have a whole month to get to these new releases, I thought I'd play a little catch up first, and go see this Iranian movie I've been hearing a lot about since landing back in France. Focused on a couple whose would-be divorce causes untold complications within their family and beyond it, it's another example of the tremendous vitality of contemporary Iranian cinema. The acting is fantastic from top to bottom, encompassing thespians old and young alike. But the story is where this film really shines, going through many iterations of what at first seems like a simple event until the idea of truth gets shaken to its core. And thankfully it does so without resorting to a Rashomon-type structure or manichean shenanigans, thus showing a trust of the audience that is sadly too often lacking nowadays.
****

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