Focal Point – A Separation (2011)
A Separation is a 2011 Iranian drama film that has been written and directed by Asghar Farhadi. It has Leila Hatami, Peyman Moaadi, Shahab Hosseini, Sareh Bayat and Sarina Farhadi playing the key roles. It focuses on an Iranian middle-class couple who separate, and the intrigues which follow when the husband hires a lower-class caretaker for his elderly father.
A Separation received the Golden Bear for Best Film and the Silver Bears for Best Actress and Best Actor at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival, becoming the first Iranian film to win the Golden Bear. It won 69th Golden Globe Awards Best Foreign Language Film. The film is also the official Iranian submission for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 2012 Academy Awards where it was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Screenplay.
The film premiered on 9 February 2011 at the 29th Fajr International Film Festival in Tehran. A few days later it entered the Competition at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival.The film has been met with universal acclaim, currently holding an awesome 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 109 reviews, as well as a metascore of 95 on the Metacritic, based on 37 reviews, making it the best-reviewed film of 2011.
