Blu-ray Review: Pure Dramatic Genius of ‘A Separation’ Amplified by Great Special Features

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CHICAGO – What makes up a great audio commentary? For me, I don’t want to hear anecdotes about what it was like on the set. And I can’t stand those audio tracks that essentially just describe what I’m watching. A great track illuminates a film in a new way, often pointing out things that you didn’t notice or filmmaking techniques that worked on a subliminal level. Such is the case with writer/director Asghar Farhadi’s track on his 2011 masterpiece “A Separation,” the winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film (along with the Chicago Film Critics Association Award in the same category) and one of the best films of the last decade from any country.

HollywoodChicago.com Blu-ray rating: 5.0/5.0
Rating: 5.0/5.0

From the very beginning, Farhadi’s audio commentary only makes his film more interesting. He points out how and why he had his two central characters speaking directly to the camera in the opening scene — to put us in the position of the judge in the action and make us comfortable with judging the very personal story that will follow — and anyone interested in the art of filmmaking should be instantly hooked. As he goes on and points out little things like how Simin’s interaction with the piano movers defines her character or how and why he shot through glass as often as he did, listening to this track becomes like taking a film class. It’s a gift.

Much like the movie itself. Since I saw “A Separation,” I have seen a couple hundred films (it’s what I do) and the movie continues to haunt me. We rarely see this kind of honesty in dramatic filmmaking from any country and I feel like I will never forget these characters or the difficult direction in which their lives have gone. Farhadi makes us the judge and then presents a story in which there is no clear good guy or bad guy. It makes us feel as helpless as his characters. Life is rarely as black and white as our cinema would have us believe. Farhadi understands the gray color or our world and represents it on film as masterfully as any modern filmmaker. Do not miss his film and if you feel it’s as powerful as I suspect you will, take the time to listen to him dissect it.

A Separation was released on Blu-ray and DVD on August 21, 2012
A Separation was released on Blu-ray and DVD on August 21, 2012
Photo credit: Sony

Synopsis:
Set in contemporary Iran, A Separation is a compelling drama about the dissolution of a marriage. Simin wants to leave Iran with her husband Nader and daughter Termeh. Simin sues for divorce when Nader refuses to leave behind his Alzheimer-suffering father. Her request having failed, Simin returns to her parents’ home, but Termeh decides to stay with Nader. When Nader hires a young woman to assist with his father in his wife’s absence, he hopes that his life will return to a normal state. However, when he discovers that the new maid has been lying to him, he realizes that there is more on the line than just his marriage.

StarClick here to buy “A Separation”

Special Features:
o Commentary With Writer/Director Asghar Farhadi
o An Evening With Asghar Farhadi
o Birth of a Director - Featurette

“A Separation” stars Peyman Moadi, Leila Hatami, Sarah Bayat, Shahab Hosseini, and Sarina Farhadi. It was written and directed by Asghar Farhadi. It was released on Blu-ray and DVD on August 21, 2012.

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

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