A Separation

If you liked this

The Salesman2016

Farhadi's own follow-up applies the same forensic morality to a different secret — an assault, a landlord, a husband's need for justice curdling into something uglier. Just as tightly wound.

But If you found A Separation's slow tightening exhausting, this one winds even tighter and takes longer to release.

Marriage Story2019

Noah Baumbach's divorce drama gives equal, devastating weight to both sides of a marriage's collapse, much like Farhadi does — you'll finish it unable to pick a villain.

But More verbally explosive and Hollywood in its rhythms; lacks the social and legal pressure-cooker that makes the Iranian film so claustrophobic.

Shoplifters2018

Hirokazu Kore-eda's Japanese family drama has the same quiet, devastating slow reveal of what people do out of love and desperation, and what it costs the state to judge them for it.

But Warmer and gentler for most of its runtime before the gut-punch — a very different emotional pace than Farhadi's constant low simmer.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from A Separation

Cast

• 
  Payman MaadiNader
• 
  Leila HatamiSimin
• 
  Shahab HosseiniHojjat
• 
  Sareh BayatRazieh
• 
  Sarina FarhadiTermeh
• 
  Ali-Asghar ShahbaziNader's Father
• 
  Merila ZareiMiss Ghahraii - Termeh's Teacher
• 
  Babak KarimiInterrogator
• 
  Kimia HosseiniSomayyeh - Razieh's Daughter
• A
  Armine ZeytounchianMrs. Kalaani
• 
  Shirin YazdanbakhshSimin's Mother
• 
  Mohammad SajadianSoldier

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