A Separation deals with issues of gender and class in contemporary Iranian society, but its central storyline is universal, which explains its international appeal. The film unfolds from the perspective of Nader, a bank employee who refuses to immigrate to another country because of his father’s illness. Nader’s wife, Simin, sues for divorce, citing better opportunities for their daughter outside the country. Nader is caught between an obligation to his parent and his desire to do what’s best for his child. When Simin decides to pack up and leave, Nader hires Razieh, a devout young woman with a four-year-old daughter to care for his Alzheimer’s-afflicted father.
Unfortunately, the chador-clad Razieh is pregnant, and caring for an elderly man with dementia taxes her energy and goes against her conservative religious principles. Razieh does not tell her debt-ridden, out-of-work husband that she has taken the job, because he would never have allowed her to enter the home of a strange man. An ugly argument results in a stalemate that pits Nader and Razieh against one another in the Iranian legal system, making A Separation a tense, nerve-wracking courtroom drama that foregrounds the nature of loyalty and integrity.
Unfortunately, the chador-clad Razieh is pregnant, and caring for an elderly man with dementia taxes her energy and goes against her conservative religious principles. Razieh does not tell her debt-ridden, out-of-work husband that she has taken the job, because he would never have allowed her to enter the home of a strange man. An ugly argument results in a stalemate that pits Nader and Razieh against one another in the Iranian legal system, making A Separation a tense, nerve-wracking courtroom drama that foregrounds the nature of loyalty and integrity.
Director Asghar Farhadi grew up dreaming of becoming a filmmaker. He took courses at the Iranian Young Cinema Society for kids and teens, where he made Super 8 and 16mm movies. In 1998, he graduated from Tehran University with a master’s degree in film direction and quickly entered the commercial film industry in Iran. His first success was as the scriptwriter for Ebrahim Hatamika’s box-office and critical success Low Heights. In 2003, he made his directorial debut with Dancing in the Dust, but it was his third feature film, Fireworks Wednesday, that earned him distinction.
Fireworks Wednesday, released by Facets on DVD in 2008, takes place just before the Iranian New Year. The New Year also signals a time for spring cleaning, a tradition in Iran in which homes are scoured from top to bottom. Rouhi, a wide-eyed innocent girl who is about to be married, is hired as a maid to clean the elegant flat of a young, well-to-do couple. Rouhi’s congenial, light-hearted personality begins to change as a result of the couple's constant bickering. The wife accuses the husband of adultery, which he denies, but the damage to their trust for one another has already been done. Their marital difficulties cause Rouhi to doubt her own upcoming marriage. Fireworks Wednesday reflects the struggle of women in a limited society such as Iran, but—like A Separation—it focuses on personal issues that are universal, in this case the role of adultery in the destruction of a marriage.
Like A Separation, Fireworks Wednesday presents a story of domestic conflict in which neither side is entirely right or wrong. Commenting on Fireworks Wednesday, Farhadi offered an observation that could apply to most of his films: “In the past, people naturally favored the triumph of good over evil, but things are not so simple nowadays. We find it hard to take sides, and it is no longer certain which side will triumph. We desire neither the triumph nor the defeat of those involved.”
2 comments:
there is one more good movie "about Elly ... "
I've found that the more I've explored the world of film, the more I've become aware of how much great artistic work is still out there for me to experience!
Thanks for illuminating the work of Asghar Farhadi, whose new film "A Separation" stunned me when I saw it this weekend. His sentiment about his filmic intent to "desire neither the triumph nor the defeat of those involved." is a great ideal of presentation in film, from "Rules of the Game" through to the works of Alexander Payne and Frederick Wiseman. "A Separation" definitely deserves a place among such films, and I'm now very much looking forward to viewing "Fireworks Wednesday" and other movies from this undiscovered (to me) filmmaker.
(Ironically, the movie "Fireworks" was the 'gateway movie' that introduced me to the works of another great film artist, Takeshi "Beat" Kitano).
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