A Separation (2011)

Every person in A Separation is lying about something, and by the end you understand why each one does it. There’s no villain to root against. Just a husband, a wife, a caregiver and her husband, each protecting someone they love, and making it worse. Peyman Moaadi’s Nader is proud and stubborn, the kind of man who sends his daughter back to a gas station attendant for the exact change. Sareh Bayat’s Razieh is the one who breaks your heart: she calls a religious hotline to ask whether she’s allowed to help an old man change his clothes. Sarina Farhadi watches as Termeh, and her face is the movie’s conscience. The honest catch: it’s two hours of raised voices in cramped hallways, and some will feel trapped in there. It holds a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and made $22.9 million worldwide. A 9.6 because it’s a family argument built like a thriller, and nobody wins. $6,256 says you lay out the whole case for someone at dinner, ask them to be the judge, and they refuse to pick a side.

What works: Every performance feels completely real, and the script shifts your sympathy so smoothly you don’t notice it happening.

What doesn’t: The middle stretch of hearings and hallway shouting gets repetitive, and the open ending will frustrate anyone who needs a clear answer.

Who it’s for: Anyone who loves a courtroom drama, or has ever been stuck in the middle of a family fight with no good side to take.