Films › Directing
A Separation
Directed by Asghar Farhadi, 2011
Farhadi withholds one fact from the audience and constructs an entire moral thriller on that single omission. Handheld camera in tight apartment corridors keeps the viewer inside the argument rather than above it. Every character has a defensible position, which is a writing achievement enforced by the direction of the performances. Courtroom scenes are shot as if the camera is the judge. Farhadi shot largely handheld with a small crew inside real apartments, letting camera operators react to blocking rather than pre-planning every setup, which produces the sense of eavesdropping that defines the film's tension. Editor Hayedeh Safiyari cuts on incomplete information deliberately, holding shots a beat past comfort so the audience feels the same uncertainty the characters do. The absence of a conventional score throughout almost the entire film keeps moral judgment resting entirely on staging and performance rather than musical cueing.
What to watch for
Watch the staircase incident and note exactly what the camera does and does not show you.
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