A SEPARATION
aka NADER AND SIMIN, A SEPARATION

Year: 2011
USA: Sony Pictures Classics
UK: Artificial Eye
Cast: Leila Hatami, Peyman Moaadi, Shahab Hosseini, Sareh Bayat, Sarina Farhadi, Babak Karimi, Asghar Shahbazi, Shirin Yazdanbakhsh, Kimia Hosseini, Merila Zare'i
Director: Asghar Farhadi
Country: Iran
Language: Persian (English subtitles)
USA & UK: 123 mins
USA Rated: PG-13 for mature thematic material
UK Certificate: PG contains mild language
USA Release Date: 30 December 2011 (Limited Release - New York and Los Angeles)
UK Release Date: 1 July 2011 (Limited Release)

Synopsis

Written and directed by Asghar Farhadi, A SEPARATION is a suspenseful and intelligent drama detailing the fractures and tensions at the heart of Iranian society.

When his wife (Leila Hatami) leaves him, Nader (Peyman Moadi) hires a young woman, Razieh (Sareh Bayat), to look after his ill father (Ali-Asghar Shahbazi). But he doesn’t know his new maid is not only pregnant, but also working without her unstable husband’s (Shahab Hosseini) permission. Soon, Nader finds himself entangled in a web of lies manipulation and public confrontations.

A SEPARATION is the first Iranian film ever to be awarded the Golden Bear at the 2011 Berlin Film Festival.