Jodaeiye Nader az Simin (Asghar Farhadi, 2011)

A Separation tells the story of a Tehran couple seeking to effect a divorce, brought on by the husband's refusal to move abroad as the wife wishes. The husband feels unable to leave his Alzheimer-stricken father behind, and an emotional tug-of-war ensues over their prepubescent daughter. The father's situation is then further complicated when he's taken before the judge for allegedly having hit the carer he has hired, resulting in her miscarriage.
You might not assume such a glum domestic scenario could result in something so riveting, but the devil is in the detail. Farhadi has hit on a great technique, which is smuggled in under the verite guise of the film, and at first seems like a series of amateurish structural errors, namely the partial reveal. Key moments in the events are continually skipped over to allow both the players and viewer to exercise doubt about the true nature of things, which results in suspense as well as a satisfyingly lifelike ambiguity. It's a minor masterclass in how to involve attention and empathy, and Farhadi's film is well deserving of all the international plaudits it garnered.

8/10