Review of A Separation

There is only one thing that is extraordinary in this film: the ubiquitous prevalence of the colour grey, or of subdued colours like brown or green. The faces are greyish, the houses are grey inside and outside, the cars are grey, the hospital's waiting room is grey, the dresses and chadors are grey or at least black (!). All female persons, including the 5 years old daughter of the cleaning lady, wear a chador. It is only at the very end, while the camera depicts the scenery in the hospital, at least one young women appears in normal street gown.

I don't believe that this colour reduction was the intention of the director or cameraman. This grey here is not really a symbol for the hopeless position of the protagonists, it is not like the blueish prevalence in Jean-Pierre Melville's "Le samouraï" with Alain Delon.

This film is an intimate play, and not a bad one; however the absence of suspense at least half of the time creates some mild boredom in the spectator and the wish to see some setting in the nature - and not only the ones with battling and chopping adults.

I remember another Iranian film, a much better on i.m.o., wherein a man goes to the hillside to commit suicide. There is currently some hype about NADER AND SIMIN, but I remain convinced that it will be forgotten in a few years.