MovieChat Forums > Jodaeiye Nader az Simin (2011) Discussion > This is Iran?

This is Iran?

posted 12 years ago by ConDeuce
72 replies | jump to latest

Can anyone familiar with Iran tell me that this film depicts life there realistically? I certainly hope so.

I just finished watching "A Separation" a few days ago. It's an intense character study and extremely well acted and directed. What struck me more than anything else about it (and was a bit distracting) was how it presented the Iranian culture that differs so much from what most Americans (including me) perceive Iranian culture to be like. The casting of Leila Hatami certainly helped a lot because she looks very European/American but it was more the father's interaction with his daughter that struck me most. He was kind, supportive and fun with her and this truly surprised me. His relationship with her was very much the kind that I have with my own daughter.

Films like "A Separation" are so important because they give us an opportunity to experience life in another country with stories that anyone can relate to. I kept thinking while watching the movie how easily the movie's plot and characters could be transported to the US. Very universal.

I have read that the Iranian "authorities" are clamping down on freedom of expression and films like this may not be made anymore. That would be a real shame. "A Separation" is a film that more Americans should watch so they could get over their misunderstanding of Iranian culture and see how similar we are.

[–] Speeed (193) 7 years ago

This is why I'm a strong proponent and fan of watching foreign movies (non-Hollywood). It's a subtle form of traveling. You get a taste of other countries' cultures, social norms, ethos, architecture, economic distribution, sense of time and space, values, and so on and so on.

Watching foreign films often helps ground me and reminds me that not all people act like Americans (or Japanese where I'm at now). It's a big world and there's a lot of great cinema to be enjoyed.